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Wareham Town Museum Family History Section

Family History Days - January 2008 & May 2009

Researching Family History has become a favourite pastime for many people so, with local Family History in mind, Wareham Town Museum held two Special Events between 10 am and 4 pm in the Corn Exchange, Wareham, on Saturday 12th January 2008 and Saturday 23rd May 2009, which we hope helped you with your research.   Well over 200 people attended each event.

 

Family History Day 2009

Town Mayor, Cllr Mrs Audrey Tighe with
FHD Organiser, Judith Webb,
Mayor's Escort, Nelson Townsend, and
Museum Curator, Michael O'Hara

FHD May 2009 - Mayor, Mayor's Escort, FHD Organiser, Museum Curator

The Events comprised:
Knowledgeable people available to guide you in finding your ancestors
Computer access to Family Tree compilation
The showing of a specially made DVD entitled An Introduction to Family History (see below)
Further help in obtaining more advanced genealogical details
A Bookstall featuring publications and DVDs made in conjunction with the Museum

These were free "drop-in" events so visitors were made welcome to come in and have a chat with the experts - and have a cup of tea or coffee while watching our video.

 
FHD May 2009 - Group at opening
The Town Mayor opens the Family History Day 2009

  For Family History research queries: 
 Telephone Museum Reception on 01929 553448 or email judith@wtm.org.uk 

Comment on any aspect of our Family History Days in our Guest Book - please Click HERE

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Some of the characters and documents from our video
An Introduction to Family History
Which may be purchased from our museum sales desk for only £3.50

 

 

D-Day - 6th June 1944 - 60th Anniversary - June 2004 ...

Our D-Day Exhibition

 

Many visitors enjoyed our special D-Day Anniversary Exhibition in June 2004

D-Day landings from the air

After much of Europe had been occupied by the Axis powers for four years, the Allies finally launched their campaign to liberate Western Europe in June 1944. Over three million service personnel were involved in Operation Overlord, which hinged on the success of the Normandy Landings on D-Day. If the German troops were able to prevent the initial landings, the whole campaign would have failed.

D-Day Landings

Our Anniversary Exhibition depicted all aspects of how residents from Wareham and the surrounding towns and villages coped with life at the time of the D-Day landings sixty years ago.

 
dday_event 01 There were numerous items of memorabilia from the era including posters, old photographs of Wareham from local people, a mockup of a 1940s room - complete with its Morrison Shelter, wartime radio gear, gas masks, stirrup pumps and also items on food production and rationing, together with items on evacuees.  The Royal Navy Cordite Factory Association and Bovington Camp had exhibits, and there were specially recorded sound clips of local people who remembered Wareham during the war and also news broadcasts of the time (both set to wartime music) ... and did we also see Churchill and Montgomery look-alikes walking amongst us?

Please click small pictures to enlarge

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The Exhibition was officially opened by the Town Mayor Cllr. Ann Selby at 10 am on Tuesday 1st June. She was to be seen with Army personnel (and their vehicles) who also attended the brief ceremony outside the Corn Exchange at The Cross, Wareham, next to the Town Museum.

 

D-Day Landings

D-Day Landings

D-Day Landings
 

 

A Centenary of Scouting 1907 - 2007

Brownsea Island, the largest island in Poole Harbour, a short distance from Wareham, was the location chosen by Lieutenant-General Robert Baden-Powell in August 1907 for his first ever experimental Scout camp.  The event is regarded as the real origin of the worldwide Scout movement.

In the summer of 2007 the Centenary was celebrated by Scouts from all over the world collecting on Brownsea Island in recognition of the hundred years of the movement and Wareham Town Museum volunteers assembled a display to commemorate this, shown below.

100 years of the Scouting Movement 1907 - 2007