BURNT Mill Academy is looking for people to bring their stories and objects relating to the Second World War to their Digital Collection Day at the school on Wednesday 13th December 2023, 4-7pm.

The event is part of a nationwide campaign organised by Their Finest Hour, a team based at the University of Oxford and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which is collecting and preserving the everyday stories and objects of the Second World War.

As these stories are fast fading from living memory, it is vital that they – and the wartime objects that often accompany them – are preserved for future generations.

At the Digital Collection Day, stories about your family’s wartime experience – and associated objects such as diaries, letters, medals, journals and ration books – will be recorded, digitised, and then uploaded to the Their Finest Hour online archive, which will be free-to-use and launch in June 2024.

 
Dr Stuart Lee, project leader, said, “we’re delighted to be able to create an archive of memories of the Second World War. We know from previous projects that people have so many wonderful objects, photos, and anecdotes which have been passed down from family members which are at risk of getting lost or being forgotten. Our aim is to empower local communities to digitally preserve these stories and objects before they are lost to posterity.”
 
The project team is especially interested in collecting contributions from people from underrepresented backgrounds in order to increase the diversity of people benefiting from Second World War heritage.

The school also wants to ensure this is an opportunity to bring the community together. Welcome refreshments will be provided and there will be the opportunity to browse the school’s exhibition stands for the war hosted by different departments, including:
Code-breaking with Maths
War literature with English
Advancements in Science
1940s soundtracks with Music
Wartime photography and rationing recipes with Art, Design and Technology (ADT)

If you have any questions about the event, please contact Mrs Collins by emailing [email protected]. For more information about the project, please visit the project website (theirfinesthour.org). You can also follow the project’s progress on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.