Tuesday 10 January 2012

Event - Help needed with war centenary exhibition (Newark)

Volunteers are being sought from the Newark area to help with an ambitious project to mark the centenary of the first world war in 2014.
 
An exhibition will begin on August 4, 2014 — a century to the day Britain declared war on Germany — at Nottingham Castle and will continue until Remembrance Sunday that year.

A large amount of work is needed before the exhibition starts and people with an interest in the war are being asked to help.

The project is being led on a voluntary basis by Major John Cotterill, of the 2nd Battalion, The Mercian Regiment (Worcesters and Foresters).
 
He is a trustee of the Sherwood Foresters Museum.

He said the Trent To The Trenches exhibition would explain the impact the war had on Nottinghamshire.

The conflict claimed the lives of about 11,000 people from the county.

A launch day for volunteers takes place at Nottingham Castle at 10.30am on January 22, for which people need to register.

Major Cotterill said there were several components to the project, being jointly funded by Nottinghamshire county and Nottingham city councils.

A database will be compiled with the details of every person from Nottinghamshire who died in the war.
 
Large data screens will be displayed at the exhibition mapping casualties by parish so visitors can view those who died in their area. The database will be available online.

Major Cotterill said volunteers were needed to research names from war memorials and hoped someone could co-ordinate the work in Newark and Sherwood.

About 1,500 people from the district died in the war.

Another part of the project is to bring war memorials to life through volunteers giving talks at memorials about those commemorated and their links to the area.

These talks will be throughout 2014.

Tours will be organised of war memorials of particular significance, such as those that include noteworthy names.

Enthusiasts are needed to identify which memorials in Newark and Sherwood should be included, and help research and deliver their part of the tour.

The impact the war had on organisations such as sports teams, factories and businesses also needs to be researched.

Those with links to schools are asked to come forward to help organise the involvement of children, which is expected both in the school holidays and in term time.

During the exhibition experts will be on hand to help visitors research their family links to the war.

Antiques Roadshow-style events will enable people to bring along first world war-related items so they discover more about them.

The exhibition will take up the ground floor of Nottingham Castle. People with an interest in design are being invited to help with the layout.

Young people in particular are being encouraged to get involved and may be able to earn a qualification through their contribution.

Anyone interested should contact Major Cotterill on 0115 957 2010 or 07733458971, or email john.cotterill613@mod.uk or john.cotterill@btinternet.com
 

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