Award winning exhibition back on Dartmoor

The unique Dartmoor Life in the First World War Exhibition is being displayed again from 18 to 24 August in Princetown to celebrate the prestigious award for the best exhibition in Britain and Ireland.  The trophy, presented by the Community Archive and Heritage Group, was awarded particularly for inspiring young people to recognise the importance of their cultural inheritance and innovative working together with local history groups.

The Exhibition is presented by the Dartmoor Trust in partnership with Dartmoor National Park Authority and supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). It opens from 10am to 5pm on Thursday 18 August in the National Park Visitor Centre, Princetown and runs for one week until Wednesday 24 August inclusive. Entry is free. Curated by Peter Mason, the Exhibition describes through words and pictures the impact of the War on Dartmoor’s communities. It draws on the collections of community archives and local history groups. It also includes material from newspapers of the day, memoirs and diaries written by people who lived in the area during the War. Photographs have also been lent by individuals and organisations.

An educational website http://www.dartmoortrust.org has been created by Bernard Whitehorn for the Dartmoor Trust, to inspire young people, to provide resources for teachers and to archive the knowledge and photographs gathered within the 20,000 image Dartmoor Trust Archive.

The displays highlight the disputes that occurred between those who put on uniform to fight for our Country and the farmers who struggled to feed our nation despite German U boats attempting to cut off our island. The Exhibition highlights many interesting facts about how the War impacted a rural community. It also raises many fascinating questions;  What was the impact on local people – an extensive survey of every family in one Parish shows that everyone was affected; How was it decided to commemorate the fallen?  How did those who survived re-adapt to life at home and how did the families cope?

The “Dartmoor Life in the First World War” Exhibition provides a unique snapshot of what life was like on Dartmoor during the First World War – how life for many continued as normal, how farming changed and women came to work on farms and in the forests. It covers the recruitment marches and the wounded soldiers who were brought to Dartmoor to recuperate as well as the impact on the area of the Conscientious Objectors who were housed in Dartmoor Prison. It highlights the endeavours that people made to raise funds and collect materials to support the war effort.