We are calling out to our community to share their stories, memories, photographs, and items of interest from 1944 to help with the research and development of a new exhibition, 1944 – What’s Your Connection, that will run at the Arboretum in Gallery 2 from May - November 2024.
It may be that you have a connection to one of the 80th Anniversaries we will be marking this year at the Arboretum, D-Day, Kohima and Imphal, Market Garden and Monte Cassino or it could be memories linking with food, fashion, and general life. We want to hear your stories!
To spark your thinking, connections to 1944 could include:
• Copies of photos of schools, buildings and high streets – that will allow us to make comparisons with how they look today.
• Copies of letters from loved ones who were serving overseas, particularly if they were written in 1944.
• Memories from the school or working day, social events attended, music listened to, food eaten or reaction to specific news reports.
• Childhood memories of favourite toys, games or other household items.
Whilst first hand memories and experiences are important, stories passed from generation to generation are equally as valuable. All the submissions we receive will help us to develop our exhibition and set the scene for our visitors, helping them to reflect and remember, as they place themselves back in 1944.
The impact and consequences of the Second World War were felt across the Nation, and businesses and organisations all over the country contributed to the war effort or had a major influence over aspects of daily life in Britain in 1944.
If you work for an organisation with a history impacted by the Second World War we’d love to hear about your heritage too.
From food marketing posters to design sketches of new products and new technologies developed we’d love to talk to organisations who have interesting items in their archives or stories, to discuss ways in which you can contribute to our exhibtion and programme this year.
Please share information about your story, artefact or pictures by 20 March using the form below.
Once your submission has been received our team of researchers will filter all content and add it to our thinking and exhibition development.
We will not be able to respond to everyone as to how your submission has been used but please be assured that everything submitted will be used to shape the development of the exhibition. If there are opportunities to include specific photographs or objects, we will contact you personally to seek your permission before doing so.