Regimental Museum report

MUSEUM REPORT 2018

Your Museum was closed for the first two weeks of January 2018 to allow the staff to catch up on some much needed ‘housekeeping’, the first programmed opportunity since the changes to displays in 2015 for the ‘Road to Waterloo’ exhibition to check, and where necessary update, the documentation of objects that had been moved or put into the ‘on site’ reserve collection; as a result there was a small drop in the expected number of visitors from 13,500 to 13,200. However, despite the slight drop in visitor numbers income was up thanks to slightly increased admission charges from January (£5 for an adult, £4.50p for a senior citizen) and the income from Joint Tickets, of which more later. Total shop sales income was down but on-line shop sales increased significantly reflecting the wider retail market trend; however, whilst this higher volume of on-line sales is welcome it takes a lot of staff time to pack, label and dispatch the goods purchased and the possibility of employing a ‘Shop Manager’ is being considered.

Accreditation

The most significant and welcome news of the year came in early autumn when the Arts Council confirmed the renewal of the Museums’ Accreditation. This is a significant achievement and Mrs Christine Pullen, our Curator, deserves praise and thanks for the way she manages the Museum and carries out her duties as Curator. For those who are not familiar with ‘Accreditation’ the Arts Council website explains the Museum Accreditation scheme as ‘the UK industry standard for museums and galleries; it tells everyone involved with a museum that they’re doing the right things to help people to engage with collections and protect them for the future, and it does so by making sure museums manage their collections properly, engage with visitors, and are governed appropriately.’ It is not, however, the Curator alone whose efforts are recognised by the renewal of accreditation, it is a team effort; Ms Elspeth McPhee as Museum Assistant and Major Ken Gray as Archivist both put in an enormous amount of work and deserve the thanks of us all.

Publicity

An aim in 2018 was to raise the profile of the Museum on Social Media by making regular posts on ‘Facebook’ and ‘Twitter’; please follow us if you are on social media, not only does it raise the Museum profile but it also keeps you abreast of developments - and the greater the number of ‘likes’ you post in response to what is put out the better!

On ‘Trip Advisor’ at the start of the year the Museum was registered as ninth out of seventy ‘most popular’ attractions in Winchester’. Thanks to our front of house volunteers encouraging visitors to give

the Museum a write up on Trip Advisor we have now overtaken the iconic statue of King Alfred as the top, and most popular, attraction in Winchester. But we cannot be complacent, and need to keep getting complimentary reports to maintain our standing, so if you visit, and enjoy it, do post a report; it all helps to promote the Museum to a wider audience and encourage others to come along.

New Displays -Snipe Gallantry Awards

In 2017 readers will recall that the medal group of Major Tom Bird was donated to the Museum; it is now court mounted and on display in the

‘Snipe Case’ alongside other individual medal groups from that action. One of the latter is the MM and campaign medals of Sergeant Fulton; his medals

have been displayed for a number of years but a picture of him had never been found. A new search was made and an article dated 19 June 1943 was

discovered in the Newcastle Journal archives that reported the award of his MM and included a slightly grainy image of Sergeant Fulton. An enhanced copy of the photograph was made and added to his medal group; there is now a picture accompanying each medal group in the Snipe display

Royal American Colour

Previously screened by a curtain to conserve it from UV light the 4th/60th Colour, hanging in the stairwell, is a remarkable artefact dating from the American War of Independence. Visitors seldom opened the curtain so it has been replaced by a full sized graphic representation of the Colour on a roller blind enabling visitors to ‘see’ the Colour whilst ensuring that the original remains protected. The graphic enhances the approach to the first floor and gives a vivid impression of the size of the Colours that were carried into battle.

World War 1 Victoria Crosses

To mark the centenary of the end of the First World War a special exhibition over the summer months recounted the acts of gallantry that led to the award of the Victoria Cross to individuals serving in the antecedent Regiments of The Royal Green Jackets. During the 1914 –1918 war 510 Victoria Crosses were awarded; 23 of this total were won by men serving in The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, The Kings Royal Rifle Corps, and The Rifle Brigade. The individual citations and details of these 23 VCs were the subject of the exhibition that was divided into the 12 VCs held in the Museum Collection and the 11 VCs held elsewhere. Among these 23 are two that are ‘unique’: Brevet Major W La T Congreve Rifle Brigade, was the first of 23 officers in the First World War to be awarded a VC, DSO and MC, remarkably in his case all were awarded whilst he was serving as a staff officer. His father, General Sir Walter Congreve, had won a VC as a Captain at Colenso in the Second Boer War. The Congreves are one of only three pairs of fathers and sons to be awarded VCs and the only pair to have served in the same regiment.

Sergeant W Gregg, Rifle Brigade, was the first of eight soldiers in the First World War to be awarded a VC, DCM and MM.

The citations and details of the lives of all 23 VC winners are held by the Museum on ‘power point’ slides. If any reader would like a copy of them contact the Curator curator@rgjmuseum.co.uk and it can be emailed to you.

Lt Gen ‘Strafer’ Gott

Some years ago a book was published on the life of Lieutenant General ‘Strafer’ Gott, the former KRRC officer who was selected by Winston Churchill to take command of the 8th Army in 1942 after General Auchinleck. Lt Gen Gott had been fighting in the desert from 1940 rising rapidly from battalion to corps command before selection to take over Eighth Army. Tragically the aircraft in which he was flying back to Cairo to assume command was shot down and he was killed; research into previously unavailable documents has shown that his aircraft was targeted following interception of an insecure radio transmission delaying its departure until ‘the General arrived’. A flight of Messerschmitts was scrambled to intercept the aircraft; it was shot down and machine gunned several times on the ground, bursting into flames and killing all save three on board. ‘Strafer’ Gott’s death was a deliberate ‘assassination’ and no chance act of war. The story is told in a new panel in the museum desert war displays.

Looking ahead

Costs restricted the work that could be completed on the planned Band and Bugles case and the interactive bugle calls display; these will not now be completed until the end of 2019. Further work to enhance the outer and inner entrance areas of the museum will be scoped and integrated into an overall ground floor development plan covering the years 1914 –2007. Developing the ground floor displays will be a lengthy process, and subject to securing the necessary funding through grants, but it is hoped the entrance areas can be funded and completed in 2019. A major part of the overall ground floor development will be enlarging the area devoted to the history of The Royal Green Jackets. In preparation for this, and to mark the start of Op Banner in 1969 that ran for all bar three of the 41 year RGJ history, a temporary exhibition is planned in 2019 covering operations in Northern Ireland from 1969 - 2007. The intention is to have the exhibition opened in time for the Annual Reunion in July.

Supporting Your Museum

A delayed study into the future of military museums is now expected to be completed, for consideration by The Army Board, by the end of 2019. Whilst there is no imminent threat to your Museum the potential loss of MoD funding should not be ignored; keeping the Museum fresh, attracting more visitors and building up contingency funds is important. Please support your Museum in any way you can, for example:

Sign up ‘on line’ as a ‘Friend’ by using the Museum website - on the Home Page scroll down to ‘Information’ and ‘Supporting the Museum’; then scroll down to ‘Becoming a Friend’.

Buy from the shop

Or - as we all get older - consider leaving a small sum to the Museum Trust Fund in your will; every little bit helps!

Finally, do call in The Museum if you are in Winchester, you will always get a warm welcome. We look forward to seeing you.

Brigadier G. de V. W. Hayes CBE

Chairman RGJ (Rifles) Museum Trustees

Swift & Bold Journal 2018

REGIMENTAL ASSOCIATION EMAIL ADDRESSES

We currently have “rgjassociation.info” email addresses available for any member who would like one. Full details on the imap/pop and smtp settings will be supplied with your email address.

If you would like an association email address please write to:

admin@rgjassociation.info

with your preferred username and password.

Kevin Stevens