Cricklade Historical Society will launch their WWI exhibition “It will all be over by Christmas” at the Cricklade Museum this weekend.

The exhibition opens to the public on the Saturday, May 31 at 10am and will evolve until the end of 2018 evolving through the anniversary years, with fresh material added as events unfold.

The exhibition covers the Call to Arms and who went to war in the early months of the war and reports from Parish Magazines of local men in action in October to November 1914.

The group have also researched the Home Front, Cricklade in 1914 including photographs of some properties in 1914 and how they look now.

In a bid to capture what Cricklade was like at the time, the exhibition includes details of businesses in Cricklade at the time, information on local dignitaries and public officers and research on subjects including the 'Belgian Refugees', egg collection, and training undertaken in butter churning.

More generally relating to the whole of WWI, there will be a WWI time line.

As well as the Wall display and the display of WWI artefacts there is also a presentation which covers Cricklade between 1914 to 1918, about the people and extracts of letters home from the front.

This project has popular songs sung by the local choir; music from the Cricklade Band and readings of letters and memories of Cricklade people from this time.

This is a local history community project. Earlier in the year, an appeal was made to members and in local publications for items to be loaned to the museum for this exhibition and the organisers have said they have been delighted with the response.

Cricklade Museum, 16 Calcutt Street, Cricklade SN6 6BD, is open regularly on Saturday morning between 10am to noon and also on Wednesday afternoon between 2pm and 4pm. 

The group will also open for visits outside these times by arrangement in advance with the Chairman of the Cricklade Historical Society, Pam Debenham on 01793 752355.