Page 168 - Mind, Body and Spirit 2016/17

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www.raptcassociation.org.uk
It has been a year of change for the RAPTC Museum, with the arrival in January 2017 of Eli Dawson as the new Curator.
There has also been a turnaround in volunteers, with Alf Prince retiring in December after eight years’ service at the Museum. He was replaced by Simon Martin who joins Amber Ormerod and Mike Gardiner as part of the archive team. They are currently working hard in cataloguing and digitising photographs and documents from the Museum archives. The most interesting of this material is being made available via interactive touchscreens to allow visitors to delve deeper into the history of the Corps.
The Museum gallery is also changing, with the introduction of new display panels that bring the story of the RAPTC up to the present time, as well as presenting a comprehensive overview of its history. Building on these improvements, the Museum is aiming to raise its pro le through the coming year as an important feature of the Army School of Physical Training.
The Museum is open every weekday and holds objects that span more than a century and a half of Corps history. It houses the key to the original Oxford Gymnasium where in 1860 Major Frederick Hammersley and the “12 Apostles” undertook the very rst physical training programme. It houses the trophies and mementos of the Corps, personal items from famous Corps names and historic uniforms and items of equipment. It houses medals won by the Corps on battle elds from the deserts of North Africa to the icy wastes of the South Pole.
Lt Col ( SMAA) T Scarr RAPTC and Mr Alf Prince - saying goodbye - RAPTC Museum
QMSI G E Pugh APTC Arnhem POW Tag – on display - RAPTC Museum
And as the Corps progresses so too does the Museum. Northern Ireland, the Former Yugoslavia and now even Iraq and Afghanistan are part of the Corps history as much as the World Wars and it is important that the Museum re ects that. Uniforms, equipment, pictures, letters and even little curiosities from everyday training and on operation are an important record of events. Though they might not seem historic now, in years to come they will take on a much greater signi cance. The Museum is always looking to acquire new objects so if you think you have anything of interest we would be delighted to hear about it.
The Museum is more than a repository of years gone by, it is a living record of the activities and achievements of the Corps and of the wider RAPTC Association. Most importantly, it is your Museum; a place from which to draw inspiration and understanding from the past in order to build an equally successful future. It is a place where in years to come, the next generation of the RAPTC will visit and draw lessons from the Corps of today.
In this way, the working methods developed through the ages can be learnt and built upon, so that whilst the bodies of today age and tire, the Corps remains stronger and healthier than before.
RAPTC MUSEUM
Mr Eli Dawson
RAPTC Freedom of the Borough capsule - on display - RAPTC Museum