This autumn, Frome Heritage Museum will be hosting an exhibition, ‘1918 – readjusting to peace’, looking into the effects of the First World War on the general population before and after the armistice.
Exhibition organisers say, “Few families remained untouched by the war and many did what they could to get by, often enduring heart-breaking losses and unimaginable grief. We will be studying how those men who did return coped with the physical and mental effects from their time away at war and how this affected their return to civilian life.
“ Equally, the impact was felt by the female population and workforce who too had had to cope with harrowing sights as nurses, and now faced the prospect of going back to domestic life from the relative freedom of paid employment. Lloyd George may have spoken of a country “fit for heroes to live in” but for many it was quite the opposite as Spanish flu ravaged the population almost as destructively as the war had done.
“Discover what the end of the war meant to the population of Frome; how the people of Frome had helped to feed the population, keep the businesses and factories running and the servicemen supplied overseas. Step back in time with a series of dioramas and a display of original artefacts including medals, uniforms, photographs and personal belongings. Find out about the lives of some of our local men and women and come face to face with the extraordinary people of Frome.”
The exhibition opened on Tuesday 28th August and will run until mid-November. Admission to the museum is free and it is open from 10am until 2 pm on Tuesday to Saturday. Donations are very welcome. For more information, please visit the museum website on https://fromemuseum.wordpress.com/
