Wessex Museums

Lest We Forget

The Black Contribution to the World Wars in Wiltshire

Wiltshire Museum 

Lydiard House Museum 

The Salisbury Museum

 

Lest We Forget is a community co-curation project and exhibition led by Wiltshire Museum, which aims to highlight the contributions of Black servicemen during the 20th century World Wars. Drawing from oral histories, archival material, and artworks from local craft groups, this exhibition respectfully shares the personal experiences and untold stories of Black members of the Armed Forces based in Wiltshire during the World Wars.

Through contemporary collecting and ongoing research, Wiltshire Museum continues to expand its collection related to this topic. The exhibition aims to recognise and commemorate the role of Black soldiers while fostering a new dialogue. By preserving these individual narratives and collaborating with community partners, the Museum aims to honour the untold histories and generate new community collaborations to preserve stories for future generations.

BlackPoppyRose was founded in 2010 by Selena Carty to highlight the contributions of African, Black, West Indian, Pacific Island and indigenous communities to wars that date back to the 16th century.

In this film, Selena Carty explains the significance and work of BlackPoppyRose and explores the service of African and Caribbean men and women in the First and Second World Wars. This film features as part of the Lest We Forget exhibition at Wiltshire Museum. 

This project will address Wessex Museums' strategic aims to:

  • Use our collections to better tell the stories of the Wessex region.

  • Engage underserved audiences through relevant and co-curated events and activities.

  • Undertake contemporary collecting projects with underserved audiences.

Project updates

Instagram will load in the frontend.
Instagram will load in the frontend.
Instagram will load in the frontend.
Instagram will load in the frontend.
Instagram will load in the frontend.
Instagram will load in the frontend.
Back to Current Projects

Image: Enlistment Recruitment Posters, National Army Museum

Sawfish are also called carpenter sharks...but they are rays, not sharks!

There’s also a species called a sawshark, but that’s, well, a shark!

Back

What the heck is a lek?

Males great bustards perform spectacular courtship displays, gathering at a ‘lek’ or small display ground to try to impress the females.

Road Runner!

The great bustard has a dignified slow walk but tends to run when disturbed, rather than fly.

Belly Buster!

The hen-bird on display at The Salisbury Museum was one of the last great bustards to be eaten in the town!

Skip to content