Page 125 - MERCIAN Eagle 2015

The Staffordshire Regiment Museum Jim Massey
We had a record year for visitors in 2014- 15, with 17,817 visitors; the first time we have had over 15,000. This was primarily because of our Great War Commemoration activities. Although 2015 is proving to be
a little quieter, we can all look back on
a job well done. It is not over yet, as we have every intention of maintaining the momentum by running more events until 2019.
they can. We have also held the first of three companies from Staffordshire & North Midlands Army Cadet Force on Op Reflect. They slept in our trench and, according to WO2 Hedges, they treated it as an interest activity at first, and only when it went dark did the realisation dawn on them as to what life must have been like in the trenches.
The main external changes include new signs, and we have started work on the Bellingham Case and the Memorial Garden. We have had WW1 and WW2 Weekends, plus a classic cars rally and at the time
of writing, run five Discovery Days. These take place on school holiday Mondays and we run trench tours, plus show & tell for
We completed 2014 with two of our established events, Night in the Trenches on 8 November and Carols in the Trenches on 13 December. In the case of the latter, we enjoyed meeting a family who travelled from Cincinnati to see London’s Christmas lights, and added our
event into their itinerary
after finding it on the
internet. We continue
to host school visits,
averaging two to three
days per week during
the school terms. This is
our primary activity, and
we have also had other
groups including military
visitors. We were
delighted to host Lieutenant Colonel Rohan Johnson from the Jamaica Defence Force, one of our allied regiments.
We have assisted 2 MERCIAN by providing information on our Victoria Crosses and the Battle of Ferozeshah. Our research team continue to answer dozens of individual enquiries, plus the occasional regimental enquiry, and are willing to help members of the Mercian Regiment, where
families.
Our main outreach
activity was to help
with the Promotion
of Watchman in Tamworth Castle, which is described in the Staffords Association article. Our education volunteers have taken part in events, including one at Claymills
Pumping Station and a few other locations. We have also become a partner working with the British Ceramics Biennial, who are based in Staffordshire University in Stoke- on-Trent. They will be running a project whereby members of the public can visit
the Spode Factory and learn how to make ceramic flowers, which will commemorate the 5,000 soldiers of The North Staffordshire Regiment who were killed in the Great War.
Fred Mason, who fought at Anzio with 2nd
North Staffords in 1944, opened our World War
2 Event on 11 July 2015 and is seen here with members of Walsall and Bloxwich Branch.
From left to right - Front Row: Andy Singer, Graham Morris (with standard), Fred Mason, Sam Fox
and Terry Johnson. Back Row: Derek Beesley, Derek Saddler, Mac Hartshorne & Les Sutton.
A big thank you to Smacker Smart, Glynn Ireland and Babs Smart (not shown) for all their hard work in re-decorating work in the Museum – April 2015.
...only when it went dark did the realisation dawn on them as to what life must have been like in the trenches
Jeff Elson Farewell
We say farewell to Jeff Elson this
year, who has been a volunteer at the museum since 1983. This was when Major Maurice Beedle was Regimental Secretary and Major Harry Rowe
was around. Jeff was originally our photographer, and then assisted with indexing. His interest led to him to doing his own research, and he has since had seven books published. In 2011 he set up our research team, which has been a resounding success and far more effective than the system which existed previously.
Staffordshire Army Cadet Force on Op Reflect 4 – 5 July 2015
Farewell to Matt Naughton (left) and Jeff Elson (right) from our Research Team. Matt Naughton, a student, has left us to take up employment. He has been a valued member of our Research Team for four years.
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
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