Special Events & Announcements

Wareham, Dorset, United Kingdom

D-Day - 6th June 1944 - 60th Anniversary - June 2004 ...

Our D-Day Exhibition

Many visitors enjoyed our special D-Day Anniversary Exhibition in June 2004

After much of Europe had been occupied by the Axis powers for four years, the Allies finally launched their campaign to liberate Western Europe in June 1944. Over three million service personnel were involved in Operation Overlord, which hinged on the success of the Normandy Landings on D-Day. If the German troops were able to prevent the initial landings, the whole campaign would have failed.

Our Anniversary Exhibition depicted all aspects of how residents from Wareham and the surrounding towns and villages coped with life at the time of the D-Day landings sixty years ago.

There were numerous items of memorabilia from the era including posters, old photographs of Wareham from local people, a mockup of a 1940s room - complete with its Morrison Shelter, wartime radio gear, gas masks, stirrup pumps and also items on food production and rationing, together with items on evacuees. The Royal Navy Cordite Factory Association and Bovington Camp had exhibits, and there were specially recorded sound clips of local people who remembered Wareham during the war and also news broadcasts of the time (both set to wartime music) ... and did we also see Churchill and Montgomery look-alikes walking amongst us?
Please click small pictures to enlarge

The Exhibition was officially opened by the Town Mayor Cllr. Ann Selby at 10 am on Tuesday 1st June. She was to be seen with Army personnel (and their vehicles) who also attended the brief ceremony outside the Corn Exchange at The Cross, Wareham, next to the Town Museum.

A Centenary of Scouting 1907 - 2007

Brownsea Island, the largest island in Poole Harbour, a short distance from Wareham, was the location chosen by Lieutenant-General Robert Baden-Powell in August 1907 for his first ever experimental Scout camp. The event is regarded as the real origin of the worldwide Scout movement.

In the summer of 2007 the Centenary was celebrated by Scouts from all over the world collecting on Brownsea Island in recognition of the hundred years of the movement and Wareham Town Museum volunteers assembled a display to commemorate this, shown below.

100 years of the Scouting Movement 1907 - 2007

Family History Day - 12th January 2008

Researching Family History has become a favourite pastime for many people so, with local Family History in mind, Wareham Town Museum held a Special Event between 10 am and 4 pm in the Corn Exchange, Wareham, on Saturday 12th January 2008, which we hope helped you with your research. Well over 200 people attended.

The Event comprised:

Knowledgeable people available to guide you in finding your ancestors

Computer access to Family Tree compilation

The first showing of a specially made DVD entitled An Introduction to Family History

Further help in obtaining more advanced genealogical details

A Bookstall featuring publications and DVDs made in conjunction with the Museum

This was a "drop-in" event so visitors were made welcome to come in and have a chat with the experts - and have a cup of tea or coffee while watching our video.

Due to the great interest shown in this our first Family History Day, Wareham Town Museum is considering holding further similar events. If you would like to comment on this, or any other aspect of our Family History Day, please leave a comment in our Guest Book by clicking HERE

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FHD montage

Some of the characters and documents from our video
An Introduction to Family History