Plymouth University is hosting an event in March which will see First World War artefacts digitised as part of a campaign to create a national archive.
Lest We Forget: Keep Their Stories Alive is an ambitious project, run in partnership between the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation and the University of Oxford to create a national digital archive.
Hosted by the University of Plymouth’s School of Humanities and Performing Arts, the public will be met by a team of experts and trained volunteers, where they will learn more about their artefacts and each item will be recorded into the archive. Previous Lest We Forget events have seen members of the public bringing in rare objects, such as a splatter mask to protect tank drivers’ eyes.
Dr Elaine Murphy, associate professor of Maritime/Naval History at the University of Plymouth said:
“We are delighted to be hosting this event, and we hope lots of staff and students, as well as the general public, will come along to have their artefacts and the stories behind them recorded for posterity. Students from our History and English programmes will be on hand to ensure the day runs smoothly, and help the experts provide lots of information about these objects that people may not previously have been aware of.”
Andrew Fetherston, chief archivist at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, said:
“Archives provide a vital link with the past and it is always amazing and gratifying to see how much it means to people when we are able to reveal the stories behind their precious family mementoes.
“Thanks to the funding of the Heritage Lottery Fund we are able to preserve our First World War heritage for current and future generations by digitising these objects through Lest We Forget: Keep Their Stories Alive. We hope this event inspires the local community across Plymouth and Devon to learn more about their First World War past.”
The event takes place at Crosspoint, Ground Floor, Roland Levinsky Building on March 6 between 2pm and 6pm.
