Hello all!
Two days ago I arrived in Leicester UK to start my Master's course in Museum Studies! I am still a bit unaware of the city's beauties but while I was walking on the roads I found a museum that had a big poster outside which wrote "Leicester remembers... AT THE FRONT 1915 - 1918". That poster was more than enough to persuade me to enter! The name of the Museum is "The Newarke Houses Museum" and it is part of a UK-wide commemoration of the start of the Battle of the Somme.
So let me show you my trip...
Among the many irrelative artifacts of Britain's various aspects of life there stood this exhibition of the "Leicestershire Regiment at the front focusing on the major battles of the Somme, Ypres and campaigns in the Middle East".
Here is one amazing trophy brought back from a Leicestershire soldier as a war trophy!
This is a letter that a soldier of the Regiment wrote back to his mother describing the conditions at the front!
The moving story of private 38624 Edward Lloyd Short and a letter he wrote back!
The emblem of the Regiment.
Two spooky artifacts...
Here are some very interesting pieces from the collection of the museum! The one that really shocked me was 'Rats' the rat-chasing dog!!
And here is a very nice painting of Lieutenant J.C. Barrett and his actions that won him the Victoria Cross! (sorry for the bad angle of the photo but the position of the painting didn't allow me a better shot)
At that point the exhibition continued to a room that was transformed in a way to represent a WW1 trench! And although a small room the atmosphere inside was creepy as f**k!! All you could hear was screams in both english and german, distant gun fire, shells exploding either far away or nearby, orders given, whistles and heavy footsteps in the mud. The lights were off
and spotaneously there were flashes accompanied by shells! The walls of the trench were covered with shell cases, barbed wire, planks, and metal plates to hold the dirt! There were ammo boxes laying everywhere and even a crow standing on top of a small barracks with small beds for 3-4 soldiers alongside their equipment and some newspapers and letters! To make matters even more realistic there was a telescope over the trenche's edge that when you looked inside there was a movie playing with actual footage of explosions! Due to the darkness I couldn't take proper pictures but I managed to take it on video!
After this little but very live room I entered the WW2 room!
Due to my origins I will start with this perfect painting depicting the Battle of Crete and the Leicestershire Regiment engagement with the Fallshirmjager!
...and some details of the painting -->
Sadly I couldn't locate the painter's signature, the rat fleeing!
Let's move on with the room's artifacts...
That was the end of the war related exhibition and after that I went nearby to drink a beer at a pub on a river's banks, read the book I bought from the Museum and feed the swans peacefully!
That was the end of my short trip! I hope you enjoyed it because I loved it!!!
ps. I would like to invite any friend from the UK that knows Museums and sites here in Britain related with WW1 - WW2 to tell me about them because I would love to visit everything! That includes shows, antique shops, and events! I know I am asking too much but I want to see everything here in England!
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