Beneath the Battlefield: Penair School students trace Cornwall’s tunnellers
Penair School in Truro, Cornwall, is the latest school to have benefited from a Western Front Association grant. The students used their grant to launch a local history project, Beneath the Battlefield: Cornish Miners on the Western Front, beginning with a visit to St Agnes Parish Church and St Agnes Museum. The grants are made possible because of a generous donation from one of the WFA’s members.
Penair School’s Visit to St Agnes Museum
22 October 2025
Penair School’s student researchers made a powerful start to their local history project with a memorable visit to St Agnes, generously supported by a grant from the Western Front Association. The visit marked the beginning of their enquiry, “Beneath the Battlefield: Cornish Miners on the Western Front,” and provided an invaluable opportunity to engage directly with the lives of local men who served in the First World War.
The day began at St Agnes Parish Church, where students studied the First World War memorial and learned about the men it commemorates. Among them was Lieutenant Harold Llewelyn Twite, a Cornish mining engineer who led a group of tunnellers and was killed in December 1915. This personal connection to the local community immediately brought students closer to the realities of the war.
At St Agnes Museum, students encountered a remarkable collection of Twite’s personal artefacts, preserved with great care. The most striking of these was his mud-covered watch, stopped at the exact moment of the explosion that killed him and his comrades. Seeing such items first-hand had a profound impact, transforming abstract historical knowledge into something immediate and deeply human.
The visit also introduced students to the importance of artefacts in historical research. As one year 9 student, Riley, reflected, “I never thought we could find as much information as we could from this museum… the artefacts… the watch, the letter, everything on the poor man.” The experience encouraged students to think differently about evidence, inspiring them to engage more deeply with primary sources in their own investigations.
Handling and observing original objects also fostered a strong sense of responsibility and emotional connection. Riley described how the experience changed his approach, noting that working with fragile artefacts made him “more calm, gentler,” and aware of the importance of preserving these “precious stories.”
Following the museum visit, students began their first session of independent research, using digital archives such as the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to trace the stories of men named on the memorial. Early discoveries highlighted the complexity of historical research, with students already encountering challenges such as discrepancies in the spelling of names and other recorded information.
Mrs Turuelo, who has led the students in this visit and supported their entry for the Malcolm Doolin History Award has noted that "The impact of the visit has been clear in students’ ongoing work. They have shown increased motivation to investigate beyond the classroom, with some pursuing their own lines of enquiry into local individuals and families connected to the war. The experience has encouraged their curiosity and resilience and developed a deeper appreciation of the human stories behind historical events."
This enriching visit not only launched the project but also shaped students’ understanding of how history is constructed. By connecting local heritage with global conflict, it ensures that the experiences of Cornish miners and tunnellers continue to resonate with a new generation of historians.
—Penair School
WFA grants
The Western Front Association offers grants to schools to support teaching and learning about the First World War, including small grants for schools that have taken part in WFA competitions and activities. Details are available on the schools and competitions page.
