Centenary Overview

Legacy Books

All of the winning entries from the Centenary competitions have been published in a beautiful anthology. *Stories of the First World War* provides an introduction to the Great War period for young people, with poetry, art and personal stories from the period.

Award Ceremonies

Each year, competition winners were invited to a very special award ceremony - to celebrate their excellent work! Click the picture to learn more about the ceremonies.

Buckingham Palace

Competition winners from around the world travelled all the way to London for a special tea party to be recognised for their achievements!

Fundraising Galas

Over the Centenary, we gathered friends and supporters to celebrate the wonderful work created by children and young people to commemorate the First World War.

Never Such Innocence

Never Such Innocence is a registered charity (number 1156148) in England and Wales and is a unique project fitting into the wider series of 2014-2018 centenary activities. Our aim is to ensure young people nationally are inspired, informed and included in the centenary activities.

The charity takes its name from Philip Larkin’s famous poem MCMXIV, which reflects on the changes caused by the First World War. The driving force behind Never Such Innocence is Lady Lucy French, great-granddaughter of Field Marshal Sir John French who commanded the British Expeditionary Forces from 1914-15.

The launch of Never Such Innocence was kindly hosted at Australia House in May 2014 with a gala dinner and theatrical performance, blending poetry, prose and music from the Great War, compiled by Dr Martin Stephen. Since our inception we have been dedicated to engaging the nation’s children in the First World War centenary through learning, poetry, art and music.

T: 0207 836 2603
11 Slingsby Place, London,
WC2E 9AB

Never Such Innocence.
Registered Charity Number 1156148 Company Number 8680319

🌟 Meet Valentino.C. from Italy, a passionate advocate for peace and a Young Ambassador for Never Such Innocence! 🇮🇹✨ It was an absolute delight to welcome him to the office as he and his family came to London for a trip! He has been an amazing advocate at his school! Valentino invites all poets, artists, musicians, and speakers to participate in the international contest. Share your creativity and message of peace by responding to the question: "How Can We Prevent Future Wars?" Translation of the content: “Poets, artists, musicians, and speakers... I invite you to participate in the international contest proposed by Never Such Innocence. Express yourselves creatively and share your message of peace, responding to the question: "How Can We Prevent Future Wars?”

🌟 This Remembrance Month, we reflect on the moving words of “Eleven,” a poem by Sally S. “I have a huge passion for learning about both World Wars - ever since I was a child, I have been captivated by the subject. While thinking about what could be written, I decided to focus on those lost in the First World War and their ancestors. I have personal connections to the First World War through my great uncle who was stationed nearby, which made me interested in how I could connect this to the present. As a child, I always felt it was unfair that we never talked about those who helped Britain from countries under British control. I used to ask my mum, ‘Why can’t I do something about this? Why don’t we talk about these people in school?’ Reflecting on this made me realize that it’s up to our future children to use their knowledge of the world’s cruelty to stop it - to prevent early deaths and halt wars. Trust the youth, as I would have wanted.” For more details and to join the competition, visit our official website at neversuchinnocence.com. We invite you to answer the crucial question: How can we prevent future wars? You might consider using the theme of remembrance as a starting point! 🌍🕊

We're exploring another avenue of art today. We thought it would be fun to explore how education can prevent war through an public art lens; showing both 3D and 2D pieces from our archive alongside famous artworks, read along and get inspired on how to get started in answering this years question ⬇️ “How Can We Prevent Future Wars?” Annual NSI Competition 2024/25 Deadline: 28/02/2025 Stay up to date on the competition by following our social media @neversuch and checking out the link in bio for more resources! #neversuchinnocence #artcompetition #artandexpression #artblog

Today our founder, @ladylucyfrench, delivered a speech at the Western Front Association’s service at the beautiful Guards’ Chapel. She spoke about her family history and how they inspired her to give children a voice during the Centenary. Thousands participated in NSI activities through the Centenary years, including young people like Rebecca, who wrote the poem I Stand Alone, which Lucy shared at the service. Well done to all of the young people who continue to play their part today, carrying on the memory of all who were lost.