At War & In Peace project in Northumberland aims to discover previously untold stories

‘At War & In Peace: The WW2 Home Front and Post-War Reconstruction in Northumberland’ aims to take a new look on the county’s wartime and post-war experiences to discover previously untold stories.

Oral history interviews will be conducted with descendants of people who lived at the Polish resettlement camp in Morpeth. Many people from the camp integrated into British society creating lasting Polish communities in the area.

Those who chose not to return to their homeland after the war due to the communist regime played a huge role in the county’s post-war reconstruction and resettlement.

Exhibitions will be held in Berwick and Morpeth, and in some of the county’s 30 libraries and other public venues, as well as at Armed Forces Day events.

These exhibitions will explore key aspects of life on the ‘Home Front’, including campaigns such as ‘Dig for Victory and ‘Make Do and Mend’ along with showcasing the resilience of local communities.

There will be extensive research by the archives team – who will explore the existing archives, uncatalogued materials and records held at the Imperial War Museum and The National Archives.

Sue Wood, head of archives at Northumberland Country Council, said: “Through exhibitions, educational workshops and community engagement, the project promises to be a fitting tribute to the sacrifices and resilience of the people of Northumberland, 80 years on from the conflict that shaped their lives.

“We are very grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the people who play the lottery for this vital support.”

Workshops are set to be rolled out across 35 schools, using high-quality learning resources created by the team to enable students to explore wartime history through engaging, hands-on activities.

The project will also allow Northumberland Archives to add content to their collections by archiving digital outputs from some of the 52 community projects that Northumberland County Council is supporting via the VE 80 Fund.

Grants provided by the council will allow each of the 52 groups to develop their own community project to mark the anniversary.

All research findings, interviews and exhibition materials generated by the project will be preserved by Northumberland Archives.