The Fusiliers’ Museum, Bury

Walking around the newly reopened Fusiliers' Museum in Bury it is hard to ignore the regiment's deep roots in its local community. The Fusiliers first came to Lancashire in 1797 and the displays are a testament to its links with local families through the generations.

What makes the museum more special is the decision to relocate it to the heart of Bury's cultural quarter opposite the town's art gallery and museum, itself a recent recipient of Heritage Lottery Fund money for a refurbishment.

The regimental collections have been moved from the nearby Wellington Barracks into what was the Bury Arts and Crafts Centre, a Grade II-listed Victorian building formerly used as a technical college.

While visitor facilities such as the cafe and shop are situated in a new modern entrance hall, the core of the collection is displayed in the old part of the building.

From the outset it is obvious that great effort has been made to move away from the traditional regimental museum approach. In the introductory section, simple interactives explain military terminology - words such as "Demob" and "Compo" have become part of our everyday language, but for many their origins are vague.

Death and glory

The tone of the museum is set by a large showcase close to the start of the exhibition which highlights another recurring theme: the changing role of the regiment over the centuries from combat to peacekeeping.

As well as seemingly traditional items of equipment, the case also contains a miners' lamp seized by troops sent by Winston Churchill to deal with unrest in Tonypandy during the 1911 coal strike, an AK47 rifle captured during the first Gulf war and a rubber bullet used in Northern Ireland.

The main exhibition is arranged chronologically. The Fusiliers were involved in most, if not all, major campaigns fought by the British army since the 18th century. The displays do not gloss over some of the less successful episodes such as the American War of Independence, where the regiment was forced to surrender at the battle of Saratoga in 1777.

There is a good mix of graphics, images and objects and considerable care has obviously been taken to balance regimental detail with the need to tell the story in an accessible way for those not familiar with military history.

There are also plenty of simple, but effective, interactives for children, emphasising the people-centred approach of the museum. Given the quality of the displays though, some adjustment to the lighting may need to be considered as the overall feel was rather flat considering some of the dramatic stories being told.

In military museums it is the first world war that attracts much attention and Fusiliers material from this era is all the more poignant as many of the famous Pals battalions were formed in the north-west. The Lancashire Fusiliers also had two battalions of Bantams, soldiers under 5ft 3 inches tall, originally classed as too short to fight.

Regiment and community

The regiment's role on the Western Front is recognised through a reconstructed section of trench, while a video displayed in front of a large painting of the Gallipoli landings describes the carnage of the campaign.

Away from the dreadful statistics and familiar first world war battlefield souvenirs, two items bring the story much closer to home. One is a wedding dress worn by the wife of a serving officer who married during the war; the other is a video telling the story of a chance discovery in 2005 of the bodies of two first world war soldiers at Ypres. Research revealed that the pair were Lancashire Fusiliers killed in a battle 93 years ago.

Regimental records were used to identify them. The video chronicles the tracing of their relatives and the ceremony when the soldiers were given a proper burial.

The close link between regiment and community is continued in displays taking the story through the 1939-1945 conflict and into more modern times, although the narrative is broken with the most recent activities of the Fusiliers being chronicled on the first floor.

Access to these displays is by a stairway lined with graphics highlighting some of the famous figures who have served with the Fusiliers. These include sculptor Jacob Epstein and Lord of the Rings author JRR Tolkien.

Another famous Fusilier was the actor Michael Caine, who carried out his national service with the regiment, although his name is misspelt in the graphic.

The displays are redeemed by the clever use of oral history testimony from veterans shown on video around the gallery.

The section on the regiment's role in Northern Ireland is a well-balanced account, especially considering the fact that members of the regiment were among the 12 people killed by terrorists in the M62 coach bombing in 1972.

A note at the end of the exhibition says that the museum began life as a collection of souvenirs gathered by soldiers on active duty as mementoes.

The new Fusiliers' Museum is much more than a "collection of souvenirs". Bury people can be proud of it.

Tim Bryan is the head of collections and interpretation at the Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon