First World War Conference
18 Apr 2024
‘Interpretation, Commemoration and Memory of the First World War by the Community’ WCT gave a short presentation about ‘What The Left Behind’ at this conference in August. Speakers explored the role of the local community, its museums and other organisations, in interpreting and remembering the conflict. Speakers: Professor Margaret Cox is Britain's first forensic archaeologist, and founder of the world’s first forensic archaeology and anthropology department at Bournemouth University. Professor Cox talked about the Fromelles Project, which is led by a joint Australian and British team identifying the soldiers lost at the Battle of Fromelles. Professor Gaynor Kavanagh, a qualified and experienced curator, who for many years was part of the Department of Museum Studies at the University of Leicester spoke on memory and locality. She is author of ‘Museums and the First World War: A Social History’ and. The conflict archaeologist and anthropologist, Professor Nicholas Saunders, focused on trench art, objects made by soldiers from the debris of war. Other speakers included:
- Tony Horitz, on Wimborne Community Theatre’s production ‘What They Left Behind’.
- Alan Brown on research of Army and Navy ancestors Chris Copson from the Keep Military Museum, Dorchester.
- Chris Brown presented the local story of Montague Edgar Randall, who was born in the parish of Wimborne Minster in 1883 and served in the Dorsetshire Regiment.