NEWS RELEASES
World War II as it happened
27th January 2005
The power of the press rather than television is vividly illustrated at Horsham Museum for the coming year. Nowadays we can watch dramatic war footage unfold before our very eyes and see enemy broadcasts on the internet and television. However, we are going to step back in time to an era when it was radio, Pathe News shown in cinemas, and newspapers that told the story. The public will be able to read about the Second World War as it happened in a different, reprinted newspaper each week that will be made available in Horsham Museum's library.
When we read these old newspapers, there is something, though it is hard to describe what, that has a certain impact because we now know the outcome of the events described. For example, the attempt to blow up Hitler in November 1939, an incident recounted in the reprinted Daily Express, is largely forgotten about today because it was overtaken by the dramatic attempt in 1944. The Telegraph's headline 'Premier on Empire's Finest Hour' for 19th June 1940 gives due emphasis to what turned out to be one of Churchill's most celebrated speeches, while the same newspaper carried a story about a 'New Fitness Campaign', not for healthy weight reduction as it would be today, but to make men fit to join the armed services and fight. Another newspaper of 7th January 1944 contains a headline 'Britain has fighter with no propeller' announcing the arrival of the jet plane, an invention that would transform post war travel.
This unusual access to war time newspapers is part of Horsham Museum's exciting contribution to Home Front Recall, a national campaign to remember what Britain was like in World War II and encourage people to remember, record and celebrate everyone's contribution to the war on the Home Front. While the newspapers are interesting for their headlines, it is in fact everyday matters that have so much appeal, such as the advertisements for the health giving benefits of salad cream! The newspapers are emblazoned with all kinds of advertisements for such items as cigarettes and reduced prices on a variety of goods and services. Sport and football that dominate the back pages of today's newspapers are given just a couple of paragraphs. Yet one local result did attract some coverage - Norwich City 18 Brighton & Hove Albion 0.
This is a rare and unusual opportunity only made possible because in the 1970s a company reprinted newspapers from the World War II era. The collection was donated to Horsham Museum some years ago.
THE WAR PAPER will be made available every Friday for the public to read in the recently refurbished museum library commencing on 4th February.
For further information please contact:
Jeremy Knight, Curator
Horsham Museum
9 Causeway
Horsham
West Sussex
RH12 1HE
Tel: (01403) 254959
Fax: (01403) 217581
Email: museum@horsham.gov.uk
Opening times: Mon to Sat (ex. bank hols) 10.00am -5.00pm
Admission free