Museums Service Commemorates The Battle Of The Somme In Beverley

Opening on Saturday, 25 June, at the Treasure House in Beverley, a new exhibition ‘Remembering the Somme’ looks at one of the most famous and costly battles of the First World War.

1 July 1916, the opening day of the battle, saw the British Army suffer 57,000 casualties, with 19,000 men killed – the Army’s worst ever losses in a single day.

The battle lasted until November and resulted in perhaps one million casualties for the British, French and German armies.

Dr. David Marchant, museums registrar with East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said:

“The Battle of the Somme is generally remembered as an example of poor British generalship and an appalling loss of life. But is this the whole story? Today, we tend to base our views on television programmes such as ‘Blackadder’, without necessarily considering all of the facts. This exhibition aims to present a range of views on the battle and lets visitors decide the truth. We’ve also included stories of local men who fought on the Somme.”

The exhibition is accompanied by artefacts from the Museum & Archive Services collections, as well as loans from private collections.

The exhibition lasts until 10 September and will be accompanied by a series of educational/family events.

A free open evening at the Treasure House on Tuesday 28 June (5.30-7.30pm) will allow visitors the chance to talk to curators, archivists and volunteers involved in the creation of the exhibition.

For further information, please contact the Treasure House on 01482 392780