Midlands War...!!

Quicksnapper

Quicksnapper

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Sara
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This year is the 100th anniversary of the start of WW1 and our club has been asked to stage an exhibition with the theme "War". Not specifically the Great War, but war in general. I live in the Midlands, near Burton on Trent, and am looking for appropriate locations, within a reasonable distance, to visit to shoot suitable images. I did a lovely shoot at the NMA (National Memorial Arboretum) in Alrewas recently so have some promising stuff from that, but we don't want 36 images of war memorials!

Any ideas gratefully received. The event isn't till September, so we've got a bit of time .... Thanks in advance for your ideas.
 
Hi,

just a few quick ideas, try museums eg RAF Cosford or look for regimental museums, castles, churches with effigies, stained glass or sometimes military flags, there's all kinds of re-enactment groups active over the summer so that may be a possible source of a few shots,

HTH,

Stu.
 
A bit of a trip for you Sara, but East Anglia has a lot of wartime memorabilia.

The place is littered with the remains of WW2 airfields, bits of runway, control towers, Nissen Huts etc. Some run as wartime museums now, with lots wartime memorabilia.

Home Guard 'Pill Boxes' are everywhere.

The Royal Naval Patrol Service museum at the Sparrows Nest in Lowestoft.

The WW2 radar site, at Bawdsey Manor.

Nearer to you, is Bletchley Park, the home of the WW2 code breakers, with many of the old huts still there, along with exhibits.

I'm sure that Coventry would have something to offer, as it was very heavily blitzed.

Dave
 
Hmm.. bit far for you maybe, but I know a couple of sections of recreated trench (now getting overgrown) that were accessible when I last visited, in the Bury St Edmunds area on an old museum site that closed down quite a while ago. It's quite an interesting site.

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The Sherwood Foresters museum in Nottingham 'castle' has some ww1 exhibitions.
If you can get in touch with the person that runs the archives at Chilwell Barracks, they have some interesting stuff and they might even let you take pictures without the glass that you'd get at a museum.
Around 10 years ago we were researching our family tree and I ended up going to Chilwell to take photos of my great grandad's medals. We were talking about how he'd won his DCM at Polcapelle and he took me down into the archives to read through the actual record of the battle. It was a very interesting day. Last time I heard the medals were on display at Nottingham Castle.
 
Thanks for the replies everyone. I could get to Nottingham quite easily (live near Derby/Burton-on-Trent) and a trip to the other sites mentioned wouldn't be too great a commitment. Cannock Chase is also quite nearby and one I hadn't thought about. Some promising ideas. Thanks again.
 
Quicksnapper said:
This year is the 100th anniversary of the start of WW1 and our club has been asked to stage an exhibition with the theme "War". Not specifically the Great War, but war in general. I live in the Midlands, near Burton on Trent, and am looking for appropriate locations, within a reasonable distance, to visit to shoot suitable images. I did a lovely shoot at the NMA (National Memorial Arboretum) in Alrewas recently so have some promising stuff from that, but we don't want 36 images of war memorials!

Any ideas gratefully received. The event isn't till September, so we've got a bit of time .... Thanks in advance for your ideas.
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If you're anywhere near London - you can get to the Ypres Salient in 2 hours. Did it a couple of weekends ago - Eurostar to Lille, hire car. There's a book called Major and Mrs Holt's Battlefield Guide to the Ypres Salient which gives you driving directions to all sorts of photogenic places. There's a crater at Hooge that is free and has some stunning landscapes and Tyne Cot is worth the trip.
 
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