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Soldiers of Shropshire Museum

@sosmuseum.bsky.social

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Welcome to Soldiers of Shropshire Museum at Bluesky! Visit us at Shrewsbury Castle to discover the stories of Shropshire soldiers and their families in war and peace, at home and abroad, from 1755 to the present day. This account is managed by Nancy Mein!

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Dr Adam Prime @primeadam.bsky.social · Aug 7

A wonderful few hours today at @sosmuseum.bsky.social for Teddy and me!

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Soldiers of Shropshire Museum @sosmuseum.bsky.social · Jun 4

The countdown to our 'March for the Museum' continues - Sunday 22nd June at Acton Scott Hall - so it's time for the second compelling reason to take part:

2: Visiting new places in Shropshire is good for the local economy AND the local environment!

#naturewalk #Shrewsbury #museumlife

Soldiers of Shropshire Museum @sosmuseum.bsky.social · May 23

A beautiful window- thanks for sharing this tribute to him

Soldiers of Shropshire Museum @sosmuseum.bsky.social · May 23

#shrewsbury #shropshire #naturewalks

Soldiers of Shropshire Museum @sosmuseum.bsky.social · May 23

With just over FOUR weeks to go until our annual fundraising walk, "March for the Museum" we thought we'd give you FOUR great reasons for taking part!
This week: being outdoors is good for you!
No need to book- just turn up and walk- if you can't make it on the day, we have other ways to donate

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Soldiers of Shropshire Museum @sosmuseum.bsky.social · May 19

The online exhibition to our 'Auntie Emmie's suitcase' display is now live! It includes audio and video from Emmie's great-niece and donor of Emmie's suitcase archive, Susan Davies.

www.soldiersofshropshire.co.uk/online-exhib...

#shropshire #shrewsburycastle #womenandwar #firstworldwar #WAAC

Emmie in her colourful garden at home in Shrewsbury, c1970s/80s.

Soldiers of Shropshire Museum @sosmuseum.bsky.social · May 8

Her son was the first British Army soldier to be killed in action during the Second World War, Corporal Thomas Priday of the King's Shropshire Light Infantry (1st Battalion). 4/4

#VEday #shropshire #churchill #80veday #shrewsburycastle

Bryan de Grineau’s drawing of Thomas's grave, for the Illustrated London News.

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Soldiers of Shropshire Museum @sosmuseum.bsky.social · May 8

Victory, of course, had come at a cost — in lives lost, in psychological scars, and in emotional wounds. Pictured is Elizabeth Priday standing outside her cottage holding a framed drawing of her son’s makeshift grave in Luttange, France. 3/4

Elizabeth Priday outside her cottage, described further in main body text.

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Soldiers of Shropshire Museum @sosmuseum.bsky.social · May 8

Dönitz and Jodl to Eisenhower's HQ to sign the unconditional surrender of the remnants of the Nazi regime to the Supreme Allied Command.
The Grand Admiral's baton is displayed at the museum - along with our Shropshire Soldiers' war stories. 2/4

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Soldiers of Shropshire Museum @sosmuseum.bsky.social · May 8

80 years ago today, Winston Churchill announced 'Victory in Europe', Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler's successor, Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz, had surrendered. Our Shropshire soldiers formed the arresting party (alongside the Herefords) to bring... 1/4

Description from the Imperial War Museum: The Prime Minister Winston Churchill at a BBC microphone about to broadcast to the nation on the afternoon of VE Day. IWM (H 41843)

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Soldiers of Shropshire Museum @sosmuseum.bsky.social · May 7

Goat hair is very fine and is used by museums and galleries like ours to dust frames. As the hair is very fine, it can't remove embedded historic layers of dust. Infact, such dust becomes stuck to the object and removing it brings serious risk of damage as well as the loss of its 'memory'.

Soldiers of Shropshire Museum @sosmuseum.bsky.social · May 7

The frame to our 1955 portrait of Sir William Whitmore of Apley (near Bridgnorth) – whose eyes seem to follow you in the gallery – has been given a much-needed dust with a very special brush!

#collectionscare #shrewsburycastle #museumlife #goathair #museumconservation

Image 1: Close up image of oil on canvas portrait of Sir William Whitmore of Apley by Joyce Aris (1955). Sir William wears a white wig typical of the mid 18th century, a white cravat, scarlet coat with gold facings and a white waistcoat with gold facings.

Image 2: Using a goat hair brush over the frame, which is gold and intricately carved.

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Soldiers of Shropshire Museum @sosmuseum.bsky.social · May 4

An object in our collection has recently captured hearts across the UK – a wartime gift of cosmetics from soldier Aubrey Price to his mother, Mercy; a gift that unwraps love, grief, memory, and loss.

You can read Mercy's story at the link below 👇

www.soldiersofshropshire.co.uk/mercys-story...

Image 1: A colour photograph of Mercy Price holding her youngest son, George, in 1935. Mercy wears a green jacket – a colour she avoided after Aubrey was killed, as she had been wearing green when she received the news of his death. Private collection.

Image 2: The powders and lipsticks with their containers, brands include Gemey, Coty, Pascal Paris, Robert Laurent, Lesourd Pivert. Soldiers of Shropshire Museum.

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Soldiers of Shropshire Museum @sosmuseum.bsky.social · Apr 16

For the original story, you can check out our blog post at the link below 👇
www.soldiersofshropshire.co.uk/survived-by-...
#shrewsbury #Shropshire #militaryhistory #museum

www.soldiersofshropshire.co.uk

Soldiers of Shropshire Museum @sosmuseum.bsky.social · Apr 16

Tune in to BBC Radio Shropshire with Clare Ashford this Thursday and Friday from 10:00 to 12:30 for a 10-part series, where Aubrey’s 80-year-old gift to his mum, part of our museum collection and first featured last month- leads to emotional reunions and new insights into Mercy, Aubrey’s mother.

Image 2: Studio photograph of Aubrey Price, from Trench, Shropshire, in King's Shropshire Light Infantry (KLSI) uniform. Aubrey joined the KSLI in June 1944.

Image 1: Second World War (1939-45) black and white night-time photograph of a Royal Air Force radio operator in a dispersal van, handling the radio telephone. The van is equipped with signalling lights and communications equipment. The operator is listening intently to instructions from Control.
Imperial War Museum (CH 6591)

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Soldiers of Shropshire Museum @sosmuseum.bsky.social · Apr 9

Thank you Joanne!

Soldiers of Shropshire Museum @sosmuseum.bsky.social · Apr 8

Organised by the Friends of the Soldiers of Shropshire Museum, the lecture will be held in Shrewsbury Castle's Circular Room. Tickets are FREE for Friends and £10 for non-friends. Tickets can be booked and paid for in advance at this link 👇
www.soldiersofshropshire.co.uk/product/talk...

www.soldiersofshropshire.co.uk

Soldiers of Shropshire Museum @sosmuseum.bsky.social · Apr 8

Rob delivers the final talk of the Friend's Spring Lecture Series on April 10th 7.30pm at Shrewsbury Castle. Using objects from the museum's stored collection, he asks the question: How have the loving ones of killed soldiers of Shropshire grieved?

#museums #Shrewsbury #Shropshire#militaryhistory

(Rrob next to Thomas Price's temporary grave marker, brought back to the UK by his wife Sylvia. It is a simple wooden cross, with square cut diamonds at ends apart from the bottom. In black paint are the words 'RIP' in the top diamond, followed by 'KILLED / IN / ACTION' down the top part of the vertical cross and '250085 SGT PRICE T.V. / 10th K.S.L.I. along the horizontal. At the lower part of the vertical cross '29.7.18'.

Image 4: One of several luxury French cosmetics gifted by Private Aubrey Price to his mother, Mercy for Christmas 1944. Vibrant red Gemey powder, within a circular metal case, with circular cotton applicator and a metal top, with a loose circular paper advertising note(?) 'ROUGE / A LÉVRES / GEMEY /procédé synthochrome / création / RICHARD HUDNUT / PARIS'. Aubrey was killed two months later on the 7th March 1945 in the Netherlands and the luxury cosmetics were preserved by Mercy through her grief. For more, see https://www.soldiersofshropshire.co.uk/survived-by-grief-cosmetic-dis-comfort-a-gift-from-a-soldier-son-to-mother/

Letter written on a single page of blue notepaper by Private Lancelot ‘Lance’ Kitchen to his sister Vera (transcript further below). Eight months after writing the letter, Lance died as a prisoner of war in June 1916.
Trimulgherry, India Oct 1st /
My Dear Vera, /
Thank you very much for your Kind letter received safely yesterday. I am glad to hear you enjoyed your school holiday. I expect you are getting quite a big girl now what standard are you in school. I am sending you a few pictures I will collect a lot & send you soon. What are you doing with them all. I will have my photo taken soon & send you one then you can show your teacher your big brother who has been to the front fighting the Turks. I don’t know when I shall be coming home but I will come as soon as the Germans have all been beaten & I don’t think that will take us long now. I have enclosed a picture out of a paper, you can see the date trees that is where I have been fighting Well Vera dear write me another letter soon (a long one) Best love to you & all at Home
I remain /
Your loving Brother /
xxxx Lance xxxxxx

This soldier doll was given to a young son when his father, Lance Corporal William Smith, was killed in the First World War (1914-18). It is very fragile, with several holes where the filling material will escape with only the slightest movement. Some of the holes were sewn up long ago and then over time and/or playful use the stitching has come loose, revealing the holes once again. The doll is made of a single piece of fabric, details such as jacket, hat and facial features have been drawn or printed on with ink.

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Soldiers of Shropshire Museum @sosmuseum.bsky.social · Apr 7

Try your skills for £1 a go - card or coin - and let us know how you fared!
The simulator is wheelchair accessible. We suggest that smaller children will need adult supervision -
And for those sensitive to sudden noise, it does make a bang, but staff can reduce the volume on request!

Soldiers of Shropshire Museum @sosmuseum.bsky.social · Apr 7

With the Easter break nearly here, are you stuck for things to do? Our brand new Weapons Simulator may have just the solution!

You could take inspiration from two of our recent visitors, Caleb and Daniel, who combined our simulator with our soldier dress-up activity!

#museum #ww2 #militaryhistory

Caleb and Daniel- smiling, dressed up as soldiers posing with a gun by our weapons simulator.

Picture of the target range simulator leaderboard

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Soldiers of Shropshire Museum @sosmuseum.bsky.social · Mar 31

Ray’s archive part 4: reunions of shared identity and experience. Through photos, Korean War veteran Ray reflects on Shropshire branch reunions of the British Korean Veterans Association.

#koreanwar #ksli #kingsshropshirelightinfantry #Shrewsbury #warveteran #koreanveteransassociation

Soldiers of Shropshire Museum @sosmuseum.bsky.social · Mar 27

Thank you! 😃

Soldiers of Shropshire Museum @sosmuseum.bsky.social · Mar 27

Spring has sprung and is singing in all its technicolour glory at our Shrewsbury Castle home garden, 🌞 thanks to Shrewsbury Town Council gardeners Andy, Karl, and Steve (who retired last year)!
Do share your own blossom if you like below! 👇
#shrewsbury #shropshire #spring #museums #nature

A large cluster of yellow and white wild daffodils.

A billowing Japanese camellia, against the castle wall, a vibrant pink flowered shrub

Shrewsbury Castle, with shrub and flower beds to the right of a garden path leading to the castle.

Pink and purple hyacinth and white-yellow and yellow varieties of daffodil around a plaque 'EAGLE / FROM / MINDEN / BARRACKS / COLOGNE / A.D. 1925

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Soldiers of Shropshire Museum @sosmuseum.bsky.social · Mar 25

Can you turn our weapons demonstrator Stuart's smile into a frown? On Friday, Stuart claimed the top spot on the target range leaderboard of our new weapons simulator, dethroning our director Richard after weeks of dominance!

#museums #Shrewsbury #royalnavy #museumlife #militaryhistory

Image 1: Stuart, with a smile, holding a toy SA80 outside the weapons simulator, having just pipped Richard to the top of the target range simulator leaderboard. Stuart stands next to a sign that says 'Try our new Weapon Simulator! / Choose your rang type and skill level and get your name on the leaderboard...Use the Army's current weapons - The L85-A3 rifle or the Glock 17 pistol*

Soldiers of Shropshire Museum @sosmuseum.bsky.social · Mar 24

The full story of Jessie the donkey's cart discovery is now available to read at our 'Stories from the Collection' webpage, and just as we add a new layer to Jessie's archival story at the museum!

www.soldiersofshropshire.co.uk/recovering-j...

#shrewsbury #archives #socialhistory #militaryhistory

Photographs of and newspaper clippings within the museum collection about Jessie the donkey from the 1940s through to the present day. At the centre is Jessie’s wooden cart within the cobbled service courtyard of Pitchford Hall with Rob (left), James Nason (centre) and Derek Owen (right) around the cart. Rob holds the museum’s Jessie portrait by Lady Sybil Grant. Image courtesy of the Shropshire Star and reproduced by Copywrite of Shrewsbury.

Black and white photograph of Jessie and Private Ellis at the Flaxmill Maltings, Shrewsbury, 1942, with soldier’s kit bags to be taken to Shrewsbury Railway Station.

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