Marlborough Town Council
First World War Commemorations
Recording Marlborough’s First World War Stories - November 9th and 10th 2013 at Marlborough Town Hall
Next year sees the centenary of the start of the First World War, an event that changed the world forever. Every family in Britain was affected to some degree and those living in Marlborough and the surrounding villages were no exception.
To mark the beginning of Marlborough’s preparations for the centenary an event is being organised for the weekend of 9th and 10th November between 10am – 4pm in the Town Hall. People living in Marlborough and surrounding villages are invited to come along and bring with them any photographs, objects, letters, diaries, mementos and stories/memories of the First World War. These will be digitally recorded - photographed and oral histories recorded – to create a local digital archive, which will form a permanent record of Marlborough in the First World War. It will also form the basis of exhibitions in the town over the four years of the centenary.
Everyone is welcome to come along – even if you have recently moved to the area . The First World War was a global event and we would like to hear from people whose families were living in other parts of the country or abroad, as well as those from the local area.
The event is planned to coincide with the Remembrance weekend and will include displays and stands from local people and organisations. It will showcase some of the events organised for next year and provide an opportunity for people to get involved.
Marlborough played an active role in the First World War. It was used to billet successive companies of soldiers and at times took on the appearance of a garrison town. It had a Voluntary Aid Detachment hospital run by local women (located in the Wesley Hall in Oxford Street) and its own detachment of the Volunteer Training Corps, which was similar in nature to the Home Guard of World War Two.
For more information, please contact marlboroughww1@hotmail.co.uk
