On Wed, 2011-10-26 at 14:53 -0700, iain.macdonald(a)wikinewsie.org wrote:
As I've remarked before - every so often I decide
to unsubscribe from
this list, then something else interesting comes up.
You were sane enough to unsubscribe from <s>troll-l</s>foundation-l,
though? Right?
Some of these memorials don't even have
information notices (the one
in the village I grew up in, for instance). Where there is sufficient
information for one, might the WMF/projects/WMUK/whoever collaborate
with local authorities - supplying info, images etc for an information
board, which could in turn point people in the direction of further
resources?
(Disclaimer: I haven't thought that through.
I'm thinking aloud.)
You're probably thinking along similar lines to myself. These memorials
were constructed in the 1918-1925 period, with funds raised locally. The
material that could build a Wikipedia article is likely buried in parish
newsletters, and long-ceased-publication local newspapers.
The monument is less important, in terms of the data we have an
opportunity to access, than the people it commemorates. Wikipedia is
very much "cold, hard facts", this is very, very personal. Commons,
Wikisource, and possibly Wikibooks - to me - seem the appropriate
projects to work on with this material.
If the entire 'roll call' from a monument is processed, then the
supplementary items - such as theatre tickets, or restaurant receipts -
from someone's last night before going to the front can be put on
display locally to the monument (eg, in a local library).
The rationale behind doing this through WMF projects is to have the
information available globally. Right now, someone in Australia may well
know that their great-grandmother emigrated after her husband was killed
in WW-I. Being able to see the letter he wrote the night before he died,
and a list of the personal effects handed to the widow, is what I see
making this a project of value.
WW-I has oftentimes been billed as "The War to end all Wars"; the more
personal you make that, the better. Battles A, B, and C with X, Y, and Z
killed is cold statistics; changing those who died from statistics into
'real people' just seems the right thing to do. Who knows? Buried in
amongst the thousands of last letters may be a few people as articulate
as Owen or Sassoon.
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [Wikimediauk-l] [GLAM] Soldiers' letters
From: Brian McNeil <brian.mcneil(a)wikinewsie.org>
Date: Wed, October 26, 2011 10:37 pm
To: wikimediauk-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org
On Wed, 2011-10-26 at 17:55 +0100, Tom Morris wrote:
On Tue, Oct 25, 2011 at 22:55, Brian McNeil
<brian.mcneil(a)wikinewsie.org> wrote:
A QR code
could be placed at a relevant war memorial,
Is that such a good idea?
I like QR codes as much as the next person, but sticking
them on war
memorials may probing the limits of taste in
Wikimedia
outreach.
Believe it or not, that's why I was careful to say *at*,
as-opposed to
*on*. I know I've a reputation for being crass, insensitive,
and
bloody-minded; but, "vandalising" war memorials is something
I'd not
contemplate. :P
I'm glad to see others chime in regarding the potential for
certain
memorials being non-notable, or having insufficient reliable
sources to
get beyond stub status. The point here is not to drive traffic
to
Wikipedia, but to allow people to quickly access very personal
documents.
Even just doing everyone listed on a single monument will be
notable
enough to garner press coverage. From that, it will -
hopefully - be
possible to encourage other non-wiki people to get involved
and carry
out the same work for their local memorials.
I've no idea how far this should be pushed, or how far it
might go if it
gains traction. The fallen of WW-I were not repatriated; I
lived in
Flanders for over ten years, I've seen the rows, and rows of
white
crosses in war cemeteries over there. I know a very large
number of
people visit these sites every year. If anyone can suggest a
way to
tastefully cross-link memorials in the UK listing those who
died with
the actual graves, that would seem the next logical step here.
Brian McNeil.
--
http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Brian_McNeil - Accredited
Reporter.
Facts don't cease to be facts, but news ceases to be news.
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Brian McNeil.
--
http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Brian_McNeil - Accredited Reporter.
Facts don't cease to be facts, but news ceases to be news.