From suitcase secrets to a ruby celebration: Spring history talks at Shrewsbury Castle
The Friends of the Soldiers of Shropshire Museum at Shrewsbury Castle have announced their monthly ‘Lectures at the Castle’ series for spring 2025.
The history related talks, which take place on Thursday evenings in the historic Circular Room of Shrewsbury Castle, feature a diverse set of guest speakers and a key theme is women’s history.
On February 13, Susan Davies reveals the hidden First World War (1914-18) story of her Shrewsbury great-aunt Emmie Chester from the discovered contents of Emmie’s stashed away suitcase. Emmie’s story is the subject of a new display at Soldiers of Shropshire Museum titled ‘Auntie Emmie’s suitcase – A wartime service life unpacked’.
For Denby Humphries, from the museum: ‘Emmie, whilst working behind the front lines for the British Army in France, experienced romantic love, forged life-long friendships and had to choose between returning to care for her family or pursuing a new adventure in the form of a promotion in Geneva’.
On April 11, Soliders of Shropshire Museum volunteer Dr Robert MacKinnon similarly sheds light on unseen objects and hidden stories. Using objects from the museum’s storerooms, he asks ‘how have the families of killed Shropshire soldiers grieved?’ Dr MacKinnon’s talk explores the diversity, individuality and significance of home-based memorials and how military and military-related objects have formed an important part of grieving military death.
The spring lectures begin on January 9 with Philip Ginnings, an Outreach Educator for the Holocaust Memorial Trust. His talk examines the roles and responses of ‘ordinary women’ to the Nazi persecution of Jews from 1933 and the systematic killings between 1941 and 1945.
On March 13, the Director of Soldiers of Shropshire Museum, Richard Gough, reflects on the museum’s ruby anniversary (40 years) at Shrewsbury Castle. Richard’s talk traces the museum’s journey to the present day, from the initial idea to merge several county regimental museums; the IRA bomb attack and the museum’s subsequent resurgence; and how the museum is now looking to its future in a very different world to the one it started in.
Further details can be found at the Soldiers of Shropshire Museum website.
