The shocking story of Forster and other “forgotten” workers is being told by English Heritage in a new exhibition in the Roman city of Corbridge on the Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland. Much is known about the excavations at the site of Edward’s time, but so far little is known about the boys and men who did the punitive physical work. A color image of Edwardian workers Billy Nicholson and Robert Henry Guy at the Corbridge Excavation. Photo: English Heritage Curator Frances McIntosh said she was always impressed by the people in the grainy black-and-white photographs that moved tones and tons of earth to allow the excavations to take place. “I always wanted to know their names,” he said. “These are men forgotten and neglected because they were workers, they had unstable, short-term contracts. “They were laborers, laborers in agriculture, bricks; but the excavations could not have been done without these types.” McIntosh sends copies of photos to parish councils, contacts Facebook groups and uses local newspapers to help find the names of people in the photos. So far she has managed to name 11 men and get in touch with the families of three of them. The photos have been painted and will be displayed – outside in the ruins themselves – in the hope of finding more names. “You look back at black-and-white photos and forget that things were in color, just as you forget that there was color in the Roman world,” McIntosh said. “You come to a Roman site and you see yellow, gray or brown stone, but in reality the buildings would be much brighter. You are looking at a black and white photograph from the Edwardian era. life was not like that, it was colored “. “One must know who he is.” English Heritage wants to locate all Edwardian workers in Corbridge. Photo: Historic England Forster was one of the men identified. The photo shows a tiny one in front of one of the most impressive finds – a stone lion attacking a goat, now known as the Corbridge Lion. Forster had just finished school and was surrounded by workers who helped him find himself. The sense of accomplishment is obvious. “We know from the memoirs of one of the supervisors that the men were really proud of the work they did. When they first came in, they thought of it as another job, but that changed. “They were men who worked in the brick factory, they were miners, they were gardeners, they were really proud of what they did,” McIntosh said. A color image of Edwardian workers at work in Corbridge. Photo: English Heritage The men took part in excavations unveiling objects that today make up one of the most important Roman collections in Britain. Corbridge began as a Roman military fortress and developed into an urban settlement, which was the northernmost city of the Roman Empire. Another striking photo shows a boy happily holding about six baskets. “It’s such a wonderful image,” McIntosh said. “I really think one should know who he is, for sure. “I’m desperate for anyone to recognize him.” Extraordinary exploration: The Edwardian discovery of Coria is located in the Roman city of Corbridge on the wall of Hadrian.
