Poole Museum honours the sacrifice of the Great War

The project will see the creation of a brand new website, which will provide resources on how the war affected all involved; from those who fought, and made munitions in the factories, to the nursed soldiers and fishing boat crews. The resources will touch upon all those in Poole.

The website will also chart the nature of post-war Poole, with stories from those who mourned the 1,000 Poole men who fell, the tales of returning servicemen, and memories of the women who had supported the war effort, but found they were no longer required at the end of the period. This was a time of enormous social change that helped to shape our modern society.

With support from volunteers, community partners including local schools, and local residents, the new website will be available for use from Spring 2017, and will continue to develop over time.

Members of the public have already started to bring in mementos of the war.

Michael Spender, museum manager, Borough of Poole, is delighted that Poole has received this grant. “Poole’s history during and after the First World War is an important part of our community story. We are very pleased to have received the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund to enable us to create a website that will help us remember and learn from the legacy of the War. We hope it will encourage more people to engage with Poole’s past and the town’s role during this critical period of history.”

Nerys Watts, Head of HLF South West, said, “Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, we’re pleased to support this project, which will record, for the first time, the heritage of the First World War in Poole and share a diverse range of perspectives on the lasting legacy it had for communities.”