Peace at Last
The final instalment of Warrington Museum & Art Gallery’s First World War commemorative exhibitions is now open.
Peace at Last explores the return to peace, what life was like for soldiers coming home from the horrors of war and how life for Warrington’s inhabitants changed forever.
After the prolonged strain and anxiety of war, Warrington abandoned itself to rejoicing on 11 November 1918 when, according to Warrington Guardian, “there was much cheering, singing and general jubilation”.
“Peace at Last explores the transition from wartime to peace and how society evolved to accommodate returning soldiers, and marks the beginning of the act of remembrance.”
Among the items on display are mementos and ephemera belonging to Warrington soldiers, World War One charitable organisations, memorials set up around the Warrington borough and some of the commemoratives produced to celebrate peace at the end of the war.
Visitors will also have a chance to see a number of special items on loan from National Museums Liverpool and Cheshire Records Office.
Throughout 2018 Warrington history groups and schools have been carrying out research on their community’s involvement in the war and visitors to the exhibition are encouraged to do the same by calling in at the Local Studies and Archives section in Warrington Library.
A series of workshops for schools is running alongside the exhibition until 16 November giving children an opportunity to learn about what the First World War meant to the people of Warrington.