Archivists and conservationists at the University of Oxford have launched a campaign to encourage people to donate Great War memorabilia before it is thrown away. The ‘Lest We Forget’ initiative seeks to raise £80,000 to enable communities to run digitisation days. These will capture memories of the war that have been passed down through families, such as photographs, diaries, letters and mementos that tell the story of a generation at war. Once gathered the database will be free to view for schools, scholars, and the public. It is hoped this can be completed in time for the 100th anniversary of the end of the conflict To find out more, visit: @ww1centenary (Facebook and Twitter), or their crowdfunding page: https://oxreach.hubbub.net/p/lestweforget/pitch/
A new garden has opened in Plymouth to pay tribute to the Women’s Royal Navy Service, commonly known as the Wrens. The opening coincided with the centenary anniversary of the formation of the WRNS, and was marked by a civic ceremony attended by the Royal Navy, and former and serving personnel. The garden features a large anchor, with the floral design having been planted by the Royal Navy. Founded in 1917 the WRNS acted as a women’s branch of the Navy - gaining more than 5,500 members by 1919. The group was disbanded after the war but then restarted again in 1939 with an expanded list of allowable activities, including limited aircrew duties. Although officially disbanded in 1993 upon the full integration with the Royal Navy, the Association of Wrens still boasts over 6,000 members. The garden sits on Armada Way in the city centre.
