‘Faces to names’

It’s taken a while to get here; but I am now starting to put ‘faces to names’ or ‘names to faces’ depending  on which way you like to look at it. This week I have added 30 photographs of men listed on local war memorials to the database. There are still many more to go but it great to actually start to bring the database to life! I have also started inputting the memorial photographs that our wonderful volunteers sent in to us at the very beginning of our project.

Unfortunately you can’t see the photos on the website yet – but it won’t be long. So take a look at the gallery for sneak preview.

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Digital memory created of the Great War

 

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On Saturday 7th November, just before Armistice Day, we held our last For King and Country Roadshow in Datchet. Despite the rain we saw almost 100 objects from 18 local contributors (the above slide show shows a selection of the artefacts).

The Datchet Roadshow concluded the FKAC tour of the royal borough from Cox Green, to Cookham, to Ascot in search of your World War One artefacts. 87 of you brought along approximately 435 objects which have all now been digitally photographed and stored for future generations on the Windsor & Royal Borough Museum’s catalogue and also at the Maidenhead Heritage Centre.

While we photographed the objects visitors delved into their own family’s history with the help of Berkshire Family History Society – we certainly uncovered a few hidden skeletons of unknown relatives.

If you live in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and have any interesting objects or stories that relate to the Great War we’d still love to hear from you please email ww1.rbwm@rbwm.gov.uk or phone 01753 743950

 

 

 

 

The Royal Borough Remembers

Throughout November we are celebrating the lives of the men who fought on the front line through a programme of FREE remembrance events. Join us as we, hear in their own words what they experienced, discover how our towns adapted to help the war effort or explore your family’s Great War history:

Talks

Infantry Rifles of WWI

Wednesday 25th November, 7.30pm, Cookham Library

www.tinyurl.com/infantryriflesww1

 

Tales of Gallipoli: The men from the Yeomanry

(Short walking tour and talk)

Saturday 12th December, 10am – 11.45am, Windsor Guildhall

www.tinyurl.com/TalesofGallipoli

 

Walks

WWI Memorial Trail of Datchet

Saturday 14^th November 2015, at approx. 10:30 am – 12:00, join us for a walk starting from St Mary’s Church, Datchet.

This walk, led by the Datchet Village Society, will be visiting the village’s three memorials and hearing about the lives of the soldiers, their families, and their homes. The route will be dependent on the weather. Everyone is welcome and there is no charge – but places are limited.

To book your FREE place on the walk, please email info@datchetvillagesociety.org.uk , or call Marjorie on 01753 545 110

Maidenhead During the Great War – Guided Walk

Saturday 14^th November

www.tinyurl.com/maidenheadwalk1

Tuesday 17^th November

www.tinyurl.com/maidenheadwalk2

Bring out your WW1 artefacts – still three museum roadshows to go…

Do you have a missing piece of history tucked away at home?

The people of Windsor and Maidenhead have been scouring their homes for memorabilia for the Borough’s Great War project – For King And Country – and there’s three more shows planned for the remembrance season.

You can bring anything from the home front or the military which hails from around the 1914-18 period to receive FREE advice (no valuations) on your artefact.

Museum experts will tell you more and we’ll take scans, photographs and audio to record the story behind your heirloom.

The upcoming shows are:

Windsor & Royal Borough Museum          9.30am – 1pm     Saturday 26 November

Cox Green Library                                     9.30am – 1pm     Saturday 17 October

Datchet WI Hall                                         9.30am – 1pm      Saturday 7 November

For further information, call 07817 137318, 01753 743947 or e mail ww1.rbwm@rbwm.gov.uk

Take a walk through history with our Maidenhead WW1 guided tour

Join us as we walk past the homes of the All Saints parishioners who gave their lives during the Great War.

This local route shares fascinating insights into the daily lives of the soldiers who left Maidenhead behind for the Western Front and the harrowing events of the Great War.

In a town in which 900 were killed out of a total population of 13,000, visit the street where 13 of the fallen lived out their lives.

Led by local researcher Elizabeth Bryson for the Royal Borough’s For King And Country WWI project,the walk will be held at the following times:

Thursday 20 August         6pm

Friday 21 August              2pm

Saturday 23 August          10.30am

Spaces are limited so please ensure you book ahead of time. To secure your place, please e mail elizabethbryson3@yahoo.co.uk

‘A Place to Remember’

Pop along to the Windsor and Royal Borough Museum to have a look at our For King and Country ‘Memorial’ display. Find out about the history of some of our local memorials, discover the ‘Journey to Arras’ and learn about national commemoration.

Please note there is a small admission charge of £2.00 for the museum unless you have an RBWM Advantage Card – then its Free!

Dedworth WWI Roadshow comes up trumps

Local residents in Dedworth rummaged in cupboards and lofts and dusted off old heirlooms to show specialists at the Windsor & Royal Borough Museum WWI roadshow last Saturday (June 20).

Museum specialists and volunteers were delighted with the turnout, and a steady flow of visitors  brought  around 30 new artefacts which will be added to the museum’s WWI digital archive.

Artefacts included a teapot with special WWI inscription on its base, an Edwardian christening gown, a working model steam engine and lots more.

The Heritage Lottery Funded event, which was held at Dedworth Library from 9.30am – 1pm on Saturday morning, is the fourth in a series of roadshows touring the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead during 2015.

Volunteers from a wide range of organisations took part, including the Friends of Windsor Museum, Dorney Ambassadors and the Maidenhead Camera Club.

Education Officer Kate Pitt said: “We are always grateful for the help of so many local organisations in making this a really special event when the museum comes out to visit the community. Local residents really came up trumps and brought some amazing finds with them.”

Got anything about 100 years old? WWI Roadshow comes to Ascot

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Do you have anything at home which hails from the time of the Great War?

It can be from the home front -something from a household – or military; it all goes to help us at Windsor & Royal Borough Museum to piece together what life was like 100 years ago.

Bring your object in – we have Museum experts who can advise you on it, and we will photograph and scan it,and record the story behind it if known. Then we’ll hand it back to you, and the records will form a lasting resource for researchers and educationalists in the local area.

We’re at: Charters Fair and Literary Festival

on:          July 4

from:       12.30pm – 2.30pm

For more information call 07817 137318 or e mail ww1.rbwm@rbwm.gov.uk.

See you there!

 

WWI Roadshow arrives in Dedworth and Clewer

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If you live in the Dedworth or Clewer areas and have anything at home that’s around 100 years old, Windsor Museum wants to hear from you.

The Museum’s ‘For King And Country’ project, which aims to record the names and stories of the people on the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, is bringing its latest roadshow to

Dedworth Library, Smiths Lane, Windsor SL4 5PE

Saturday, 20 June,

from 9.30am – 1.30pm.

Museum experts will be on hand to give advice on items the public bring in which hail from the time of the Great War. An army of experienced volunteers will be there to scan or take pictures of artefacts, take recordings of the story behind them and hand them back to their owners.

The results will be stored on the Windsor & Royal Borough archives for study and research purposes – and the stories will be told on the For King and Country blog and website.