BRITISH WAR MUSEUM

Otago Witness, Issue 3314, 19 September 1917, Page 25

BRITISH WAR MUSEUM

SCOPE OF MEMORIAL SCHEME. HISTORY OF ALL CAMPAIGNS. A summary was recently given in a cable message from London of tho proposals by a committee, of which Sir Alfred Mond is chairman, for the establishment of a national war museum on a vast scale, illustrating tho campaigns on sea and on land in all theatres, the creation, equipment, and transport of the armies, and civilian contributions to tho war. Among the features of the proposed museum are a hall of honour immortalising tho greater figures in the war, a • memorial gallery recording tho names of the fallen, and the special achievements of ships, regiments, and overseas contingents, courts containing exhibits ,of implements of war, captured trophies, photographs and models of ships, trenches, munition factories, submarines, aircraft, and, tanks. A description of tho scheme was given in the London Daily Chronicle in Juno. It described tho proposal as one to set up an institution which, so far as is known, will stand alone in the world for the enlightenment of posterity. Every phase of tho Great War—civilian as well as military —is to he commemorated, and tho student and tho historian are to have collected for them materials of priceless value. The Macaula.y of the future who may have occasion to write of the trench mortars of 1916 will bo able to look at them in the neighbourhood of models of trenches and other kindred exhibits. Ho will not have to depend upon contemporary descriptions of "tanks,'' or of the first British seaplane that discovered the whereabouts of the German fleet on the evo of a critical battle; he will see the things themselves. PRELIMINARY PLANS. Sub-committees of experts have been engaged for some time in working out the necessary floor space which would be required to house exhibits representing the efforts of the navy, army, and munitions. Definite figures have been ascertained and approved by the committee, and preliminary plans are now in course of preparation. It is clear that to perpetuate the great national and Imperial Allied effort, a large and imposing building will be required. The war museum, must, from its very nature, partake of tho form of a war memorial, and tho idea of combining with the museum appropriate features, such as a memorial hall, a. regimental gallery, in which the unique roll of honour of those who have paid the supreme sacrifice in this war would bo enshrined, as well as records of gallantry of the regimental and naval units themselves, will certainly meet with sympathy and approval. Sir Alfred Mond! estimates that the war library alone to be housed will comprise from 30,000 to 50,000 volumes. Then there will be the enormous mass of, original State documents, many of which may not reach the museum for at least a generation after their date. In tho ordinary course all these documents would be deposited in tho Record Office, and if they are to be accommodated in the National War Museum some express arrangement for that purpose will have to be made. Tho books and the documents, however, voluminous as they must be, will be tho least bulky of the exhibits. REVEALING THE NAVY'S) PART. Not until tho museum is opened shall we landsmen adequately realise the naval effort of the country. Things of which now we hardly dare speak will then be seen by all for the first time. Officers of navy are very keenly interested about this museum, which will make generally public a glorious story, which, at present, is known to but few. There will be guns and models of ships in fighting trim. The land war on all fronts will be illusrated. Posterity will want to know more than books tell about Verdun and Vimy Ridge, dug-outs, and subterranean dressingstations ; and of these also the museum will show models. Tho achievements of surgery and medicino will, as far as possible, be commemorated' spectacularly. An important branch of the museum will be devoted to the civilian war contribution, especially women's work in spheres formerly held exclusively by the men. In the meantime, the Officer of Works has already received over 1000 gifts for the museum, and these arc being carefully stored.