THE LATEST NEWS FROM SOLDIERS OF GLOUCESTERSHIRE MUSEUM
SPRING 2024
Director's Report
Firstly, I am very pleased to report that the museum has continued to see an upwards trend in its visitor numbers. The year 2023 saw an increase in over 2000 visitors compared to the previous twelve months.
In other positive news, we are incredibly grateful to the RGBW Management Board who have awarded the museum a generous grant of £32,500. We shall use the additional income to ensure that our visitor figures continue to climb so that as many people as possible get to share in the history of our glorious Regiments.
After a relatively fallow period of school visits, I'm delighted to report that they have really picked up again in the new year, with five schools scheduled to come to the museum over the next few weeks. Our handling boxes, full of interesting items, are also going well with several hires under way. Finally, we are offering vastly reduced entry to the museum on Wednesday mornings for home educators and their children which has really taken off.
Back in January, we had a visit from Hanbit High School, all the way from South Korea. They were in Gloucestershire as part of their exchange scheme with Stroud High School. They had a tour of the museums galleries and were of course particularly interested in the ongoing Jack Russell Exhibition and the Korean gallery. They gave us an incredible gift of a 24ct gold-plated ship. In Korean culture the ship represents bravery and sacrifice, echoing that displayed by the Glorious Glosters all those years ago.
As always, thank you for your continued support of the museum. As we move into the nicer weather and tourist season, we shall be greatly increasing our event programme as always. So we hope to see you all here!
Events
Jack Russell exhibition
Current – Sunday 28th April
Free with paid museum entry
An exhibition from former England wicketkeeper and exceptional artist, Jack Russell, is on display in at the museum. These incredible works, featuring the last veterans of the Battle of Imjin River, are coming to the end of their run. They are unlikely to be seen anywhere else, perhaps ever again! So, if you have not have opportunity to view them, don’t miss out.
West Indies exhibition
Current – Sunday 26th May
Free with paid museum entry
A collaborative exhibition between the museum and Gloucestershire University. Take a look at the Glosters involvement in the Seven Years War, particularly their involvement in the West Indies Campaign. Also, discover the story of Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, the first known former slave to serve with the Regiment.
Veterans' Cafe
Thursday 11th April (then every second Thursday of the month)
A drop in service with free tea and coffee
With support from Gloucestershire County Council, we shall be launching a new service for serving personnel, veterans and their families. The museum shall provide a comfortable space for all to gather, socialise and support each other.
Easter
Saturday 23rd March – Sunday 7th April
Free with paid museum entry
Alongside our exciting Back Badge Day re-enactment event (of which more details can be found in this newsletter) we shall also be running an Easter trail around the museum for the whole of the holidays. So bring your children or grandchildren to the museum if you are looking for something to do for a few hours.
Summer
We also have big plan for summer when we shall be launching an immersive, interactive experience through the museum galleries. A hands-on ‘quest’, enabling visitors to become absorbed in the story and to bring to life the people and objects on display. We shall reveal more details nearer the time.
There will be plenty of events coming up over the year including our usual showing at Tall Ships (25th – 26th May), Armed Forces Day (Saturday 29th June), Gloucester Goes Retro (Date TBC) and of course our biggest and best Gloucester Day ever on 6th and 7th September.
Saturday 23rd March 2024 | 10:00 - 16:00
This year represents thirty years since the amalgamation of the Glosters into the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment. As such, we thought we would make this years Back Badge Day our biggest in many years.
If you do not know the glorious story behind the Back Badge, head to the link below for more information:
https://soldiersofglos.com/announcement/the-battle-of-alexandria/
To remember this celebrated event the museum will be hosting a re-enactment day. You can come face to face with 300 years of history from the Gloucestershire Regiment. We shall have redcoats, Boer War soldiers and plenty of those who served in WWI and WWII. Find out about what it was like to serve in many of the world’s biggest conflicts and what the experience of the ordinary soldier was.
Alongside this event, we shall also have Jack Russell, ex-England wicketkeeper and artist, in the galleries talking to our guests about his latest exhibition.
All the above is free with paid museum entry.
Highlight Object
This time, rather than highlight an object, we have more of an interesting tale to tell!
With the end of WWII, stories of horror and courage began to emerge from the German POW camps where some Brits had been held for nearly five years. One of the earliest stories to make it big was Sgt Styles of the Gloucestershire Regiment. He was originally captured at Ledringhem (outside Dunkirk) in 1940. So successful was he at escape that he had actually been back in England since 1943.
To great acclaim, Styles had an expose in the Times newspaper about his heroic repeated escape attempts. He even had a write up in our very own Back Badge Magazine! The stories were exhilarating with Styles leaping barbed wire and being hunted by Alsatian dogs. At one point, he even rode upon a speeding train’s axle.
As more POW's returned home though, people started to ask questions. A "Sgt. Styles" was a well-known collaborator in the German POW camps. Surely this couldn't be the same man? The more evidence that came to light the more it looked like it was the same gentleman. Many returning POW's even visually identified Styles as a collaborator in Germany as recently as 1945. So Styles had not even returned to Britain in 1943 as previously claimed.
To save embarrassment and get Styles off the street he was charged with falsely wearing Sergeant's chevrons. Sadly, the accusations were all proven to be true and Styles eventually did four years in prison (sentenced to eight) for liaising with the enemy. The last evidence we have for Mr. Styles existence is his going back into prison for stealing an exotic snake and attempting to sell it above the controlled price!
So ends the bizarre case of Mr. Styles.
Click on the button below to download this newsletter
Save as PDF