The Worcestershire World War 100 project has been funded by the HLF until 2019.  It will commemorate Worcestershire’s experience of WW1 through a cross-sector partnership of archives, public and independent museums and community organisations. It will encompass the origins, impact and the legacy of the war on the county.

A central feature of the project is the People’s Collection.  We are encouraging individuals and organisations to come forward with letters, diaries and artefacts to contribute to our understanding of Worcestershire people throughout the war: the experience of the Home Front and the personnel on the front line.

We are working with a joint collecting policy for archives and museums partners and envisage that material will be loaned for a major exhibition: the People’s Collection in 2017, which will interpret Worcestershire’s WW1 experience. The exhibition will be curated in partnership with depositors and it is hoped that loaned items will be gifted or digitised to permanent collections in Worcestershire Archives and museums.

Elements of exhibitions curated during the project will tour throughout the county in a variety of settings such as libraries, historic houses; community centres and munitions factories and we will be encouraging community participation through research, interpretation and outreach.

Gillian Roberts, Worcestershire Archives