Great War Gallery at museum wins £98,000 Lottery funding

A £98,800 Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant means work can begin on the new Great War Gallery at Bankfield Museum in Halifax this spring.

The facility will explore the First World War, highlighting the personal stories of people from Calderdale, both military and civilian, and the effect on the local area.

The exhibition will provide a focal point for commemorative activities.

The museum is working with other organisations and local groups who are also looking to mark the occasion, by sharing information and expertise.

Local schools will be involved as part of a targeted education programme, ensuring that people of all ages discover more about “the war to end all wars”.

Fiona Spiers, head of HLF Yorkshire and the Humber, said: “As we rapidly approach the commemorations of the First World War, it is important to remember the huge impact the conflict had on people at home as well as abroad.

“This project will investigate the social, economic and political effects of the First World War on Calderdale and its community, exploring the stories of local people to create an exhibition and learning resources to enable people to learn about this turning point in history.”

A central exhibition will cover the key events of the conflict, and will be supported by a number of temporary exhibitions running from 2014 to 2018.

These will focus on a range of themes from social reform and the changing role of women, to the supply of goods and changes in manufacturing.

A programme of events and activities will be developed throughout the project, offering people different ways to take part, and to find out more about the First World War.

Pauline Dawson, branch manger of the Halifax branch of the Royal British Legion, welcomed the announcement and said there was an appetite in Calderdale for such a resource.

“It’s wonderful because they have the Duke’s Battalion Museum there – that has merged now with two other regiments to become the Yorkshire Regiment,” said Mrs Dawson.
She also welcomed the education programme.

Mrs Dawson said: “We need something like that. There are no World War One veterans left now in Britain.

“The Armed Forces Day in June just goes from strength to strength each year with everyone understanding it now, whereas they never used to.”

The Halifax branch is just one of nine Royal British Legion branches in Calderdale.

Calderdale has a number of poignant stories in relation to the Great War.

These include local recipients of the Victoria Cross; the invention of the first steel helmet and bomb release mechanism; the home of the West Riding Regiment; being a centre for the supply of uniform cloth and blankets to the British army and its allies; the large number of armament factories; and the production of knitting yarn and patterns for the comfort of soldiers.

Bankfield Museum was the home of Colonel Edward Akroyd of the 4th Rifle Volunteers and houses The Duke of Wellington’s Regiment Museum, the historic regiment of the West Riding.

Calderdale Council’s cabinet member for communities, Coun Pauline Nash, said: “It’s great news that Bankfield Museum has received the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund for this exciting exhibition.

“The project will help Calderdale mark this important centenary, and enable local people and visitors to find out more about the role that Calderdale played in the Great War.”

It is hoped that the new gallery will be open by next summer.

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