This in from the council, in their own words. Ed
Archives telling the stories of the involvement of the Isle of Wight Rifles in the World War One Gallipoli campaign will be made more accessible to the public and schools.
Thanks to a £8,900 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), work will take place transcribe archives and carrying out more research.
This will form the basis for a free resource pack which will be sent to all schools and colleges on the Island as well as being uploaded onto the council’s Website. Previously unpublished archives will also be included.
Love letters
An example of archives that will be included in the pack, but never previously seen, are letters between Island resident Emmie Tutton and her sweetheart William Buckett who was killed in battle.
In addition, the project will also focus on using Island artefacts to tell the story of members of the Isle of Wight Rifles who took part in the campaign.
Bringing stories to life at workshops
Richard Smout, Isle of Wight Council heritage service manager, said:
“As well as the new resource pack, we will bring the stories to life by running workshops using artefacts, archives, sounds and smells from the time.
“These will take place in places such as libraries, museums, residential homes, community buildings and schools.
“This is a very exciting project and we hope to share the story of the Isle of Wight Rifles at Gallipoli to a much wider audience than before.”
Important to preserve “heritage and historical records”
Councillor Ian Stephens, Executive member for culture and heritage, added:
“The Isle of Wight Rifles played a major role at Gallipoli and there are many stories from the front lines.
“It is important we preserve the heritage and historical records of the Isle of Wight Rifles and this important project will do that and share the experience of the Rifles to a far wider audience on the Island.”
Get in touch
The council is keen to hear from groups that would like to book a free workshop and also from volunteers interesting in helping with research, transcriptions or helping run workshops.
Anyone interested should call 07813 021 486 or email [email protected].
The project will run from now until the end of March 2016.
Image: Isle of Wight Rifles in Watford in May – July 1915. William Buckett is fourth from the right on the back row, looking at the camera. © Isle of Wight Council.
