Page 188 - The Rifles Bugle Autumn 2019

The Rifles Museum
2019 has been a year of change for The Rifles Museum. In January, the Museum Manager, Melanie Marsh, left for pastures new at Fishbourne Roman Palace, near Chichester. Maj (Retd) Rob Yuill then also left his role as Assistant Regimental Secretary (Heritage) in April and moved to Army Headquarters in Warminster. Both Melanie and Rob have worked tirelessly to create and develop the Museum, gaining Accreditation, a national professional standard which will help the Museum to fundraise and grow, and moving the Museum into being a fully independent charitable organi- sation. Over the years, they really have turned nothing into something, and they will both be much missed.
At Easter the new Museum Manager Christopher Gale arrived and, with the help of Activities Officer James Fenton, we are now beginning the next push to move the Museum forward yet again. Part of this has been attending events away from the Museum. On 28th - 30th June, we attended the national Armed Forces Day celebrations held in Salisbury, sharing a pitch with Riflemen from 1 RIFLES and staff and volunteers from The Wardrobe, the Rifles Berkshire and Wiltshire Museum. The public, school- children and teachers, serving personnel and their families, cadets and veterans all came over to the stand and were able to try on uniform, body armour and helmets and find out more about their local Museums and the Regiment (although many knew a lot more than the Manager!). This was followed a few weeks later by The Rifleman’s Gathering on 20th July. This gave the Museum the opportunity to connect further with the “Home Team” and raise our profile within the Regiment. Although our involvement this year, with the change of staff was relatively small, we hope to expand our presence at this growing event next year. The ‘I am A Rifleman’ Exhibition completed its run at Aldershot Military Museum in May and we are currently identifying locations for it to be displayed during 2020.
In Winchester, our family drop-in activities, held during the school holidays, continue to be well attended with many fun things to do, such as making
tanks out of eggboxes and bugles out of hosepipes. This is a hugely important area for the Museum as we continue to try to attract a broader and younger audience to Peninsula Barracks.
Looking ahead to 2020 we are hoping to develop and launch a bold and youthful new brand and logo for the Museum which we can use alongside the renowned Rifles cap badge and image to really build some momentum and visibility in the future. We will also be developing exhibitions, activities and events for 2020 and 2021, so look out on social media and for our leaflet for more information. We are also hoping to attend more events away from the museum next year, so keep your eye out and do come and say hello!
Opening:
Jan, Feb, Mar: Tues-Sat 10:00-17:00
Apr, May, Jun (before 14th): Mon-Sat 10:00-17:00 Jun (after 14th), Jul, Aug, Sep (before 14th): Mon-Sat 10:00-17:00, Sun 11:00-16:00
Sep (after 14th), Oct, Nov, Dec: Mon-Sat 10:00- 17:00
Contact us: The Rifles Museum, Peninsula Barracks, Romsey Road, Winchester, SO23 8TS 01962 828500
www.riflesmuseum.co.uk
186 REGIMENTAL MUSEUMS
THE RIFLES
The ‘I am A Rifleman’ Exhibition at Aldershot Military Museum in May 2019
The Rifles Museum stand at the National Armed Forces Day event, Salisbury 2019
REGIMENTALMUSEUMS