World War One stories sought for major new exhibition

World War One stories, photos and mementoes are being sought for a major new exhibition which will commemorate the centenary of the start of the Great War next year.

Curators from Brighton Museum are holding a drop-in day at the museum in Royal Pavilion Gardens, Brighton, BN1 1EE on Saturday September 21 from 1pm to 4pm, where people are invited to come and share their stories, family histories, pictures and keepsakes that relate to World War One and Brighton & Hove. People can also contact the museum team on 01273 292845 if they are not able to get along to the drop-in day.

The exhibition is being organised by the Royal Pavilion & Museums, part of the Brighton & Hove City Council, and will form part of the city's commemorations of the centenary of World War One.

Councillor Geoffrey Bowden, Chair of Brighton & Hove City Council's Economic Development and Culture Committee, said: "We want to tell the story of World War One through the life stories of around a dozen real people caught up in it - it could include a Tommy, for example, an officer, a woman working on the home front, and a child growing up in wartime.

"So many people have a family connection with the war and we are interested in hearing their family stories, which have perhaps been passed on by parents, grandparents or great grandparents. Personal stories highlighting the impact of the Great War on individuals will help bring history to life for younger generations and we hope people will come along to these sessions to share their family stories, photos or mementoes."

Other examples of the variety of individual stories which could be featured include a woman in front line wartime service, a suffragette, a conscientious objector, a war artist or poet, a French soldier, a German soldier, and an Indian soldier treated at the Royal Pavilion when it was used as a military hospital during the war.

The exhibition is due to open at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery in summer 2014 and will run until early 2015. The exhibition is part of a European funded Interreg 2Seas project, working with museums in Belgium and France.