THE impact of the Second World War on Somerset people will be explored in an exhibition at the Museum of Somerset, Taunton, from Saturday.
War Stories: Reflections on the End of the Second World War is based around video interviews with people who experienced the conflict.
It includes a film exploring how the war changed the lives of five people and features personal objects from 1939 to 1945.
The interviewees, all now living in Somerset, include soldiers who fought in Normandy, a Women’s Land Army recruit, a Jewish refugee who escaped Nazi persecution and an army driver who later worked in post-war Germany.
Sam Astill, who is leading the project for the South West Heritage Trust, said: “As the number of people who experienced the war gradually grows smaller it has become ever more important to capture the first-hand testimony of a remarkable generation.”
Tom Mayberry, chief executive of the South West Heritage Trust, said: “The trust recognises the importance of exploring how the war shaped so many lives.
“Holding this commemorative exhibition at The Museum of Somerset will enable visitors to hear about the war directly from the people who experienced it.”
A website - www.somersetwarstories.com - has been created so that people can engage with the video interviews.
The project has been supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and a range of other funders including the Somerset Military Museum Trust, the Friends of the Museum of Somerset and the Rifles and Light Infantry Association.
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