NEWS RELEASES
Capturing the Voices of War on Veterans' Day
5th June 2007
Every year on the 11th November the Nation pays its respects to those who died in World Wars One and Two as well as other armed conflicts. What the nation doesn’t do is respect the sacrifice made by those who survived. This is about to change for on 27th June the first Veterans’ Day will be celebrated and commemorated.
On that day Horsham Museum is launching a rare opportunity for all ex-servicemen to record their memories, feelings and experiences of their war and peace time service.
Using the oral history recording studio recently created at Horsham Museum, veterans will be encouraged by gentle probing questions to explore with museum staff and trained volunteers on that day their memories and experiences. The tape will then be copied and given to the veteran to play back to family and friends, to pass on to other generations their service memories. Another copy will be held by the museum to be used for research and possible exhibitions.
Imagine if in 1857 tape recordings were available then to record the actions and memories of Crimean soldiers including the actual voices of those Victoria Cross recipients who survived. This would have provided a fascinating and rich backdrop to the first Veterans’ Day, a day chosen by the Veterans’ Agency as it comes the day after the anniversary of the first investiture of the Victoria Cross, which happened in Hyde Park, London, in 1857.
All the veteran needs to do to take up this free opportunity is contact Horsham Museum and book a time on the 27th June when they are free and then come along on the day. Unfortunately veterans can not turn up on the day un-booked. Should some veterans want to do it as a group then arrangements can be made.
For further information please contact Jason Semmens,
Assistant Curator
Horsham Museum
9 Causeway, Horsham, West Sussex RH12 1HE
Tel: (01403) 254959
Fax: (01403) 282594
Email: museum@horsham.gov.uk
Web: http://www.horshammuseum.org/