Memories of War

In 2013, we began work in partnership with the local community on an exhibition titled Memories of War, which explored the impact of war on Egham. This exhibition opened in 2014 in commemoration of the centenary of the beginning of the First World War.

An intergenerational oral history project was completed in collaboration with Royal Holloway’s volunteering body, Community Action. The team conducted 30 interviews with residents from two local care homes, Merlewood and Sunrise in Virginia Water, the congregation of the local church (Christ Church) and members of the Egham-by-Runnymede Historical Society regarding their personal memories of the Second World War. The team also interviewed 3 active service members of the Coldstream Guards, based locally in Windsor, about their experiences in more recent conflicts.

There were also dramatised readings of war letters from the Boer and First World War. These reminiscences and dramatisations were recorded, edited, and then made available to local schools. In total there were 8 documentaries that were shared with local schools. In doing this, we connected three generations within the local community. The finished research and interviews were showcased in three local events and formed the core of the exhibition.

The first local event was our yearlong exhibition titled Egham at War which was co-curated alongside Royal Holloway students. The second event was a Memories of War celebration event in June. This included a preview screening of Second World War interviews, and a pop-up exhibition. Finally, in August we held an official screening of the interviews at the VUE cinema in Staines.