The theme of the exhibition will be remembrance and this will be illustrated by reference to the men who became, and remain, "The Missing of the Somme."
2012 sees both the 80th anniversary of the official opening of the Thiepval Memorial and the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Historial. In commemoration the Historial has organised a free exhibition which will open on 19 April 2012 and run until 25 November 2012.
The major part of the exhibition will take each of the 141 days of the Battle of the Somme and tell the story of one individual who is recorded as missing on that day. Selecting just one man from 1 July 1916 would be inappropriate, given the number missing from that day, so a selection of stories will be provided.
Where possible these individual stories will be supplemented by personal objects whilst other objects will illustrate the general remembrance theme.
The exhibition is not designed to re-tell the history of the Battle of the Somme but to show some of the personal stories of those from the British and South African Regiments who not only lost their lives but were also, by force of circumstances, denied the honour of a marked grave.
The exhibition will also explore how the fate of these men affected society and why remembrance continues to be important today. In this context, it is the conclusion of a cycle of exhibitions which has already involved three other museums in France and Belgium.
You can download a pdf of the poster of the Exhibition below.
You can also download and read an extract from Bulletin No 90 on the Missing of the Somme by Ken and Pam Linge - below.
| File | Description | File size | Last modified |
|---|---|---|---|
 historial_missing_jan_2012.pdf | Historial Exhibition: The Missing of the Somme | 1695 Kb | 27/01/12 20:08 |
| WFA_bulletin_90_article_by_Pam_and_Ken_Linge.pdf | The Missing of the Somme - Bulletin No 90 | 1744 Kb | 27/01/12 20:10 |
