Celebrating 100 years of women in the armed forces

In celebration of Armed Forces Day on June 29, Bury St Edmunds market will host a pop-up museum celebrating 100 years of women serving in the armed forces.

The museum will showcase photos, stories, information, memorabilia and relics relating to women from the region who have served in the armed forces over the past 100 years. The event, being organised by artist Lou Gridley, market traders and West Suffolk Council, will be celebrated with music and dress from the 1940s.

Veteran servicewomen are being encouraged to come forward to participate in the event and contribute material for the exhibition.

And families of late servicewomen are being asked to share their personal stories and memorabilia with the community. Organisers would love to hear from people and document any of the following:

Personal stories, written letters, news articles

Photos

Armed services documentation

Audio visual recordings

Uniform

Any other artefacts or information relating to this theme.

Organisers are looking for veteran servicewomen who are happy to be interviewed by local school students as part of the pop-up museum history project.

If you are a female veteran willing to talk about your time in the armed forces, or a descendent of a servicewoman with stories to tell then email: art@louisegridley.com

All contributions will be recorded, archived and subsequently made available to future generations.

Contributions are made on a temporary loan basis for the duration of the project.

Entries can be submitted in the following formats:

In person: drop off your relics at Moyse’s Hall Museum desk (open Monday to Saturday, 10am-5pm, Sunday, noon-4pm). Please ensure your contribution is labelled with your name, email, contact phone number. All paper documents/photos will be scanned and returned to you.

Email: Send your scanned documents/photographs to the Learning Heritage Officer at Moyse’s Hall Museum: daniel.clarke@westsuffolk.gov.uk

• Post: Send your original or copied letters/photos/documents to: Daniel Clarke, Learning Heritage Officer, Moyse’s Hall Museum, Cornhill, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP33 1DX

The deadline for entries is Friday, May 31.