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closed, it was decided to take the exhibits on tour and in June we opened a display
in Mansfield Museum which focused on
the end of the First World War. Titled ‘Remembering WWI: Museum of the Mercian Regiment on Tour’, it looked at the role of the Sherwood Foresters in the final year of the Great War. A year which saw
the Regiment on both the Western Front, Italy and the 3 Victoria Crosses awarded to Lt Col Hudson of the 11th Battalion (Men from the Greenwood), Lt Col Vann of the 8th Battalion (attached to the 6th at the time) and Sergeant Johnson of the 1/5th Battalion. These men were all honoured with 100th anniversary paving stone ceremonies in their home towns which the museum were privileged to attend, often with the original VC, alongside members of The Mercian Regiment. Following the success at Mansfield, a further exhibition was displayed in Chesterfield Museum and Art Gallery with another planned at the Erewash Museum in Ilkeston.
With the help of the trustees and volunteers, the museum
has also set about
creating display stalls
Jennifer Brookman, Curator with Ian Hislop and Nick Newman, the co-writers of the Wipers Times play, outside the Nottingham Theatre Royal, August 2018
at various events
including the RAF
100 commemorations
at RAF Syerston,
Nottingham City Centre,
the Rufford Abbey
Heritage Day, the Wipers
Times play at the Nottingham Theatre Royal, the Trent Bridge Great War Heritage Day and an Albert Ball VC display at the Armistice Anniversary Concert at the Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham. As all were very well received, this is something which we will look to build upon going forward:
Volunteers play an integral part of the museum and this year has seen more university student placements as well as
Over the year we have received a number of interesting acquisitions...
continued support from our regimental family volunteers. They have all assisted in various aspects of the museum from helping pack up exhibits, condition checking artefacts, assisting with social
media posts and researching, for which we continue to get a steady flow of enquiries. The museum thanks them for their support and vital role that they fulfil.
Over the year we have received a number of interesting acquisitions including the poster and leaflet from the Wipers Times play, a detailed pocket book of Private Thomason of the 7th (Robin Hood Rifles) Battalion The Sherwood Foresters, a
programme for the Laying up of the Colours of the 5/8th Battalion The Sherwood Foresters at Newark Parish Church on
St. Georges Day, April 22nd 1979 and a Certificate of Medal Militaire awarded to Sergeant William Johnson VC. The Museum would like to thank all those who have loaned and donated items to us in the
past year and would welcome donations regarding the Mercian Regiment and its antecedents; the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment and The Sherwood Foresters. Should you wish to donate anything to the museum, please get in touch with the Curator on 0115 9465415 extension 5219 or email curator@stand- firm-strike-hard.org.uk.
Gp Capt (Retired) John Barker at the W Midlands Volunteer Awards
The Mercian
Regiment Museum
(Worcestershire)
By Dr John Paddock, Curator
This year, the Mercian Regiment Museum (Worcestershire) Museum nominated two of our longest serving volunteers, Grp Capt John Barker and Lt Col Pat Love (TD) for the annual West Midlands Volunteer Awards. These Awards were established to recognise and reward the invaluable work and significant contribution made by volunteers to the museum sector. They
are part of Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust’s National Portfolio and Museum
Development programmes funded through the Arts Council England.
John was nominated for his work with the Collections and Pat in the “Against all Odds” category. They both reached the finalist stage in their respective groupings. We are very pleased to announce that John Barker won in the collections category. John was an extremely worthy winner, his incredible dedication amounting to 31 years of service to the Museum, has ensured
THE MERCIAN EAGLE