Preston exhibition sheds light on the families servicemen and women leave behind

A new exhibition focusing on the families of our servicemen and women has opened in Preston.
By The Newsroom
Published 8th Nov 2018, 11:46 BST
Updated 8th Nov 2018, 12:49 BST
Some of the guests at the opening of a new exhibition, Military Families: Stories from the Inside to the Outside, at the Lancashire Infantry Museum, Fulwood BarracksSome of the guests at the opening of a new exhibition, Military Families: Stories from the Inside to the Outside, at the Lancashire Infantry Museum, Fulwood Barracks
Some of the guests at the opening of a new exhibition, Military Families: Stories from the Inside to the Outside, at the Lancashire Infantry Museum, Fulwood Barracks

‘Military Families: Stories from the Inside to the Outside’ uses visual art and historical accounts to provide an insight into telling the families’ stories of military life.Thirty families from Weeton and Fulwood Barracks and veterans from Preston’s RAF Wings Centre took part in a series of workshops and focus groups for the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), Lancashire Infantry Museum, Army Welfare Service and RAF Wings Centre collaborative project.Rebecca Steel, a Doctorate Researcher at UCLan, said: “There is a limit to the academic literature from the perspectives of the military community and we wanted to place their voices and experiences at the heart of this project to ensure their stories are told.“As a military wife with two young children I have first-hand experience of what life is like when your husband is away on deployment and understand the importance of being able to access support networks. My research aims to identify the education and employment needs of military and veteran families, particularly when they experience transition from military to civilian life.”

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The displays produced for the exhibition aim to place the emphasis upon the importance of family life, making links back to domestic life through the displays created such as tiles, drums or medals.The exhibition runs until December 21 at the Lancashire Infantry Museum, at Fulwood Barracks.Jane Davies, the Lancashire Infantry Museum Curator, added: “This exhibition highlights the contribution of military families. From a historical perspective, there is very little documented evidence about family life in the military from the Regiments whose history we look after. As part of the project we are documenting military life in today’s society and would welcome any memorabilia and stories we can add to our archives here at the Lancashire Infantry Museum.”The museum is open on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday from 10am to 4pm and visitors need photo ID to access the museum.

Related topics:PrestonUCLanWeeton