Appeal for World War One memoirs and artefacts

An appeal for memoirs, artefacts and souvenirs has been launched by the Orkney Museum to help create a community-based commemoration of World War One this summer.

The Orkney Museum plans to stage a large exhibition telling the stories of Orcadians who fought in the land war during the war. Orcadians in the Trenches: The Land War will use first-hand accounts of life in the army and the hardships and dangers faced by troops. The war at sea and in the air will also be covered in exhibitions over the next two years.

Exhibitions Officer Tom Muir explained that help from the public is crucial.

“None of us can imagine what life was like during World War One. The generation who fought in the conflict are now no longer with us – but their voices can still be heard.

“We would like to hear from anyone who has first-hand accounts of the war, letters, diaries, journals or reminiscences jotted down after the event. Diaries are rare, as the censors didn’t approve of details, including troop movements, being written down and potentially falling into enemy hands. Some troops did, however, keep records of sorts.

“We are also looking for World War One stories passed down in the family by word of mouth and also photographs of the soldiers and artefacts relating to them, not just medals but souvenirs, like decorated shell cases, cigarette lighters, and anything else relating to the conflict.

“We must remember that Orkney soldiers were fighting in other parts of the world, like Africa, Macedonia and the Middle East, not just on the Western Front.

“We would be particularly interested to hear about any women who went to war as VADs (Voluntary Aid Detachment) and acting as nurses and ambulance drivers on the Western Front and at home.

“We would like to borrow artefacts for the duration of the exhibition, from May – September 2015, and then return them. It would be good to copy photographs and written material, but that is entirely up to the owners.

“We would like to give as true a picture of life for the Orcadians serving in World War I as we possibly can and to commemorate the suffering and sacrifices that they had to endure.”

Tom Muir can be contacted at the Orkney Museum from 9am – 5pm, Tuesday – Saturday, by phone, 873535 ext. 2525 or e-mail tom.muir@orkney.gov.uk. Please contact Tom first before bringing any artefacts to the museum.