Exhibition highlights World War I and Three Towns centenaries

A new exhibition marking the 100th anniversary of the start of World War One and the amalgamation of Plymouth, Devonport and Stonehouse is now on display at the City Museum and Art Gallery.

‘Plymouth's Great War: Three Towns United in Conflict’ is one of the highlights of this year’s Plymouth History Festival and features information, images, documents and other related items from the city’s arts, heritage and archive collections.

It reflects on the role of the 'Three Towns' as home to the Royal Navy, Army garrisons, Royal Marines and Royal Naval Air Service and tells the story of how they became one in 1914.

It also looks at the impact of the First World War on local people’s lives.

“The content of the exhibition touches on elements such as recruitment, conscription, the fighting, the cost, the aftermath and the home front,” said exhibition curator Nigel Overton.

“There’s a huge amount of activity going on across the UK and beyond to mark the start of World War I – but we didn’t just want to produce a standard review of the conflict from start to finish. The exhibition aims to give a unique overview of the War from a Plymouth perspective – and tell the story of what happened here between 1914 and 1918.”

A programme of talks and special commemorative events will run at the City Museum and Art Gallery while the show is on display. These include lunchtime talks, film screenings and special activities linked to national events such as Museums at Night 2014 and Heritage Open Days 2014.

As well as being part of this year’s History Festival, the exhibition and related events also form a key element of the city-wide ‘Plymouth Remembers’ campaign, which is aimed at highlighting the centenary of the three towns amalgamation and the advent of war.

Plymouth's Great War: Three Towns United in Conflict will be on display until Saturday 29 November. Opening hours are 10am to 5.30pm Tuesday to Friday and 10am to 5pm on Saturdays. The exhibition will also be open late until 9pm on Friday 16 May and from 10am to 5pm on Sunday 25 May. Admission is free.

For more information visit the what’s on pages at www.plymouthmuseum.gov.uk or call 01752 304774. Information is also available at www.plymhistoryfest.wordpress.com and www.visitplymouth.co.uk/plymouthremembers.