Page 95 - Mercian Eagle 2016

check on our progress when you next visit the museum.
Coming Soon...
As 2016 draws to a close we are working on a number of projects for 2017. The largest of these will be the development of a Modern Armed Forces exhibition which will incorporate the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. As part of this development
a brand new temporary gallery will be constructed where the War Horse display and other exhibitions will be shown. A redesign of both rooms and the purchase of new display cabinets and the acquisition of new display pieces will be required.
The exhibition will feature the uniforms of Lt John Sanderson who tragically died of wounds sustained in Afghanistan. The
uniforms were donated to the museum by his family and will be the focal point of our Modern Armed Forces display. Artefacts relating to the modern Army will be joined by HMS Albion and Royal Air Force items. It is hoped that this will bring the Museum more up to date with current conflicts and represent the challenges faced by all three services in the 21st Century.
In 2017 temporary exhibitions will include the Army Surplus Sewing Bee where students from the Art and Design departments of local Sixth Form Colleges and the University of Chester will complete to see who can create the most unusual garment from a number two dress jacket. The museum will also be commemorating the Third Battle of Ypres with a temporary display and other activities. If you wish to
Work in progress...
follow developments regular updates will be posted on the museum website and Facebook page.
and it was then into our next big event which was the grand opening of the new memorial garden here at the museum. We were very honoured to welcome HRH the Duke of Gloucester who came down to officially unveil it for us on the 7th April. The memorial garden was built by veterans from the Staffordshire Regimental Association with sponsorship from local businesses.
At the centre of the garden is the original plaque from the National Memorial Arboretum, which was removed when the new Regimental Memorial was unveiled last year. The garden is dedicated to all those who have served or are still serving in the Mercian Regiment, The Staffordshire Regiment and all her antecedents.
Following a busy start to the New Year, there was no rest going into the summer season. Our event programme fully kicked off in April and was quickly followed up
by the start to the commemorations of
The Staffordshire Regiment Museum
Danielle Crozier, Curator
2016 has been, as we all expected, a tremendously busy year for the museum. As well as our normal every day activities and programmes we have also had a split focus of World War One commemorations as well as concentrating upon more contemporary conflicts and collecting. We all feel a huge amount of gratitude to the dedicated team of volunteers the museum has, without them we wouldn’t be able to achieve everything that we do. We currently have around 90 who are actively involved on a regular basis. The education team
is smashing its targets and allowing over 3000 school children through each year on education visits. The event team has run a staggering 15 events this year which has helped boost the museums income and visitor figures. Whilst our research team continue to beaver away and now make
a significant contribution to the museums annual income.
The year started off busy for us with the 25 year anniversary of Operation Granby. Working with some of our Stafford veterans we have installed a new Op Granby permanent display case, which we were able to fill with all new acquisitions. One unique item which we were honoured
to receive, was from Pte Gary Roberts, who has donated to the museum the
NBC suit he was wearing when wounded whilst on active duty. We also installed a small art exhibition inside the Kings Head, Lichfield, for the anniversary weekend using photographs from our archive. It was a great few days for all involved and great
to see so many new faces from veterans who hadn’t been down to the museum
for a while. The new case sits brilliantly alongside the Operation Herrick exhibition which was installed last year in honour of Pte Gareth Bellingham. Quickly following on from the Op Granby commemorations
Op Granby case
HRH The Duke of Gloucester opening the Memorial Garden
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
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