Jemma Conway is moved by an exhibition brimming with personal stories of those touched by the first world war
In this centenary period of the first world war, museums across the country are hosting exhibitions to commemorate it. The war is an emotive topic and it’s the poignant personal stories in this exhibition at Bankfield Museum, part of Calderdale Museums, in Halifax that recently earned it the Royal Historical Society’s Public History prize.
It was something as simple as a visitor from Leeds nominating the show for the prize because they felt they had been to see “something special” that ended in the judges commending For King and Country for its community participation and balanced account of the conflict.
The exhibition ambitiously attempts to touch on countless aspects of the first world war. As stated in the introduction, it addresses the fact that it cannot fully explore all the questions and interpretations surrounding the conflict, but makes the point that we can no longer ask those involved how to commemorate this centenary. The museum therefore has drawn on local experiences of the war in the hope that visitors will seek to find out more themselves.
For King and Country is on the top floor of what was once the grand home of a local industrialist and MP, Edward Ackroyd. Traditional interpretation panels set the scene through an entrance corridor, exploring life 100 years ago and drawing on comparisons with today’s society, touching on the impact of globalisation, transport and communications on the world. In this section, local photographs annotate the global story and include a fascinating photograph of suffragettes from Heptonstall in about 1910.
The main exhibition is divided into six rooms and features display cases, two films, costume displays, dress-up and toys for children, and text panels on the walls with a wealth of information. I was drawn to a display case filled with army uniforms of various ranks. The labels encourage visitors to look at particular aspects of the uniform – one of the most striking are sandbags wrapped around one pair of legs as protection.
It’s horrifying to think that the uniforms offered such little defence against what men endured in the trenches.
A number of other display cases are crammed full of interesting and occasionally grizzly objects, including a medieval-looking mask for tank crew made of leather and chain mail to protect soldiers from bullet-splash.
Poignant stories
The local community was asked to contribute to the exhibition and about 60 people came forward with stories, photographs and objects. A film shows them describing how they felt about telling their family stories at the museum. They were also asked why they decided to give their objects to the museum, what it meant to them to be in the exhibition and how it made them feel to be part of the 1914-18 centenary commemorations.
The recognition of those who helped form the show continues in the interpretation, labels and wall panels, and the displays feature the names of those who have donated objects, as well as their relationships to the people mentioned in the stories. It was interesting to find out how so many of the photographs had been passed down through families, instilling an even stronger sense of community participation in the exhibition.
Many of the stories are similar to those of thousands across the country: how local people sacrificed everything for king and country, but the curator managed to find some interesting ones. For example, one story is of Mary Elizabeth Pugh, who joined the Women’s Auxiliary Corps and served in France, leaving her husband at home to look after the children. When her son Gerald reached the age of 18 he also joined up and they managed to meet in Calais during the war. The story has been provided by Gerald’s daughter Margaret, who must feel a great sense of pride to see her family’s story in the exhibition.
The displays seems to cover every theme possible, including prisoners of war, conscientious objectors, women’s war work, religion, caring for the injured, animals at war, the home front and many of the major battles. It is well resourced and those wishing to find out more can visit a reading room full of books, pamphlets and, surprisingly, an artwork by Roger Fry of Poppies alongside paintings by a local Scout group.
Inspiring displays
At the opposite end of the exhibition is a line-up of mannequins, surrounded by evocative government-issued posters from the period, which aim to show how clothing changed as a result of war. This room felt slightly different, with a lighter touch, perhaps due to the costumes having been made by museum volunteers. The team used original sewing patterns to make the type of garments worn by children and those in military hospitals at the time. The costumes are well displayed and include interesting anecdotes such as how new nursing recruits bleached their red crosses to make it appear they had served for longer. The volunteers also created replica toys from the collection for the interactive area of the children’s display, which add a great deal to the section of the exhibition that discusses children’s experiences of war.
For King and Country aims to encourage us to remember the war by inspiring visitors to increase their knowledge about it and to help us better understand its legacy. It would be difficult for any visitor not to feel moved by the personal stories about local people. Indeed, as one wrote: “I came here with my husband to see the piece on his great-great uncle, James Smallwood, who gave his life for another soldier who had children.” Across generations and time periods, it’s that kind of selfless act that one can’t help but be moved by.
This exhibition is different to the rest of the displays in the museum and is very much the star of the show. It is clear that the investment in this project will be beneficial to Bankfield. In the accompanying guidebook, it states that the exhibition will change annually, so new stories and objects relevant to each year of the war’s centenary can be added. A visitor noted they wanted to return to discover more – I’d have to agree with them, if only to take in the huge amount of information on display.
Jemma Conway is the audience development officer at Barnsley Arts, Museums and Archives
Main funders Heritage Lottery Fund; Calderdale Council Exhibition build Calderdale Council corporate asset and facilities management team, plus contractor J Greenwoods
Cases and fixtures ShowGuard; Fresco Picturewall; Extreme Display
Exhibition ends December 2018
Admission Free
In this centenary period of the first world war, museums across the country are hosting exhibitions to commemorate it. The war is an emotive topic and it’s the poignant personal stories in this exhibition at Bankfield Museum, part of Calderdale Museums, in Halifax that recently earned it the Royal Historical Society’s Public History prize.
It was something as simple as a visitor from Leeds nominating the show for the prize because they felt they had been to see “something special” that ended in the judges commending For King and Country for its community participation and balanced account of the conflict.
The exhibition ambitiously attempts to touch on countless aspects of the first world war. As stated in the introduction, it addresses the fact that it cannot fully explore all the questions and interpretations surrounding the conflict, but makes the point that we can no longer ask those involved how to commemorate this centenary. The museum therefore has drawn on local experiences of the war in the hope that visitors will seek to find out more themselves.
For King and Country is on the top floor of what was once the grand home of a local industrialist and MP, Edward Ackroyd. Traditional interpretation panels set the scene through an entrance corridor, exploring life 100 years ago and drawing on comparisons with today’s society, touching on the impact of globalisation, transport and communications on the world. In this section, local photographs annotate the global story and include a fascinating photograph of suffragettes from Heptonstall in about 1910.
The main exhibition is divided into six rooms and features display cases, two films, costume displays, dress-up and toys for children, and text panels on the walls with a wealth of information. I was drawn to a display case filled with army uniforms of various ranks. The labels encourage visitors to look at particular aspects of the uniform – one of the most striking are sandbags wrapped around one pair of legs as protection.
It’s horrifying to think that the uniforms offered such little defence against what men endured in the trenches.
A number of other display cases are crammed full of interesting and occasionally grizzly objects, including a medieval-looking mask for tank crew made of leather and chain mail to protect soldiers from bullet-splash.
Poignant stories
The local community was asked to contribute to the exhibition and about 60 people came forward with stories, photographs and objects. A film shows them describing how they felt about telling their family stories at the museum. They were also asked why they decided to give their objects to the museum, what it meant to them to be in the exhibition and how it made them feel to be part of the 1914-18 centenary commemorations.
The recognition of those who helped form the show continues in the interpretation, labels and wall panels, and the displays feature the names of those who have donated objects, as well as their relationships to the people mentioned in the stories. It was interesting to find out how so many of the photographs had been passed down through families, instilling an even stronger sense of community participation in the exhibition.
Many of the stories are similar to those of thousands across the country: how local people sacrificed everything for king and country, but the curator managed to find some interesting ones. For example, one story is of Mary Elizabeth Pugh, who joined the Women’s Auxiliary Corps and served in France, leaving her husband at home to look after the children. When her son Gerald reached the age of 18 he also joined up and they managed to meet in Calais during the war. The story has been provided by Gerald’s daughter Margaret, who must feel a great sense of pride to see her family’s story in the exhibition.
The displays seems to cover every theme possible, including prisoners of war, conscientious objectors, women’s war work, religion, caring for the injured, animals at war, the home front and many of the major battles. It is well resourced and those wishing to find out more can visit a reading room full of books, pamphlets and, surprisingly, an artwork by Roger Fry of Poppies alongside paintings by a local Scout group.
Inspiring displays
At the opposite end of the exhibition is a line-up of mannequins, surrounded by evocative government-issued posters from the period, which aim to show how clothing changed as a result of war. This room felt slightly different, with a lighter touch, perhaps due to the costumes having been made by museum volunteers. The team used original sewing patterns to make the type of garments worn by children and those in military hospitals at the time. The costumes are well displayed and include interesting anecdotes such as how new nursing recruits bleached their red crosses to make it appear they had served for longer. The volunteers also created replica toys from the collection for the interactive area of the children’s display, which add a great deal to the section of the exhibition that discusses children’s experiences of war.
For King and Country aims to encourage us to remember the war by inspiring visitors to increase their knowledge about it and to help us better understand its legacy. It would be difficult for any visitor not to feel moved by the personal stories about local people. Indeed, as one wrote: “I came here with my husband to see the piece on his great-great uncle, James Smallwood, who gave his life for another soldier who had children.” Across generations and time periods, it’s that kind of selfless act that one can’t help but be moved by.
This exhibition is different to the rest of the displays in the museum and is very much the star of the show. It is clear that the investment in this project will be beneficial to Bankfield. In the accompanying guidebook, it states that the exhibition will change annually, so new stories and objects relevant to each year of the war’s centenary can be added. A visitor noted they wanted to return to discover more – I’d have to agree with them, if only to take in the huge amount of information on display.
Jemma Conway is the audience development officer at Barnsley Arts, Museums and Archives
Project data
Cost £98,800Main funders Heritage Lottery Fund; Calderdale Council Exhibition build Calderdale Council corporate asset and facilities management team, plus contractor J Greenwoods
Cases and fixtures ShowGuard; Fresco Picturewall; Extreme Display
Exhibition ends December 2018
Admission Free
