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The Museum
of the Mercian Regiment Museum (Worcestershire)
During the autumn, and under the guidance of our new collections manager, Dr Helen Hunter, the museum volunteers have
been focused on collections-based tasks. Helen has devised ways to improve the consistency of our cataloguing, including developing new templates and guides for both staff and volunteers, and by obtaining approved glossaries from the National Army Museum. Her work has allowed
us to upload images and file references
to the Modes catalogue in bulk making
it possible to add links to existing medal and biographical research of Grp. Capt. John Barker to three thousand of our catalogue entries. This is a major step towards bringing together in one place all the existing research and records relating to our objects.
As part of the ongoing collections
work, we have created an inventory of uncatalogued items in store and reconciled many of the objects with their historic records. Likewise, an audit of the uniform collection has begun, and a collection of early 18th century Worcestershire Militia items have been reunited and repacked
in more suitable storage. Fifty-five items
of uniform not currently accessioned have been researched and listed for comparison with the catalogued collection pending rationalisation.
Digitisation of the paper collection has
Major John Percival Bate, 1/8th Bn, The Worcestershire Regiment
also progressed very well with a focus on making high-quality scans of our oldest and most fragile documents including the full collection of commissions dating back to the 18th century, and the 19th century letter book from Mauritius. 1446 new images have now been made in line with standards for digital preservation.
Since October, the Museum has acquired
8th Worcestershire Rifle Corps shooting trophy, dated 1862
114 new objects, the most significant being the medals of Lt. Col. Michael Gabb OBE and of Major John Percival Bate MC DSO. Whilst other significant acquisitions include the following: The record of service of the 2nd Battalion, The Worcestershire Regiment in South Africa, October 1899 to 1902, probably written by Major Wodehouse; the WW2 medals of RSM Stanley Chapman, 1st Battalion, The Worcestershire Regiment; A silver goblet inscribed: 8th Worcestershire Rifle Corps. Presented by Lieut Harrison and Ensign Danks. Competed for at 200, 500 and 800 yards. Won by Private Wm Roden. Stourport Octr XXth 1862; an account book belonging to 2521 Private James Quilton, 29th Foot (1858-1860); and the binoculars used by Colonel S A Gabb in World War One.
DSO and Bar and MC and Bar of Major John Percival Bate, 1/8th Bn, The Worcestershire Regiment
OBE and other medals of Lt. Colonel Michael Gabb, The Worcestershire Regiment.
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