Stories of fallen soldiers brought to life in display

The personal stories of Wolverhampton servicemen killed in two world wars are being brought to life through a new remembrance exhibition designed to help younger generations connect with their experiences.

The display, Echoes in the Silence, features artefacts, letters, photographs and hundreds of knitted poppies collected by Ian Hughes over the course of a year.

He said he believed many people under the age of 40 had never met anyone who fought in the wars, making it increasingly important that their experiences were remembered.

"I want the young people to look and say we can't let this happen again," Hughes said.

To create the exhibition at Wolverhampton's Central Library, Hughes researched the lives of servicemen from the area who were killed in conflict, including about 4,500 from World War One alone.

His search led him to war graves across northern France, where he uncovered personal stories, photographs and letters that now form part of the display.

Among them is a letter written by William Albert Hastings from the trenches in July 1915.

"We are still in the trenches and have been in action 24 days consecutively and I don't know how long we shall keep it up," he wrote.

Describing incoming bombs, Hastings said: "The blighters were presenting to us and without exaggeration they were 18 inches to two feet long.

"It truly is hell here."

Another Wolverhampton serviceman, Albert, who was killed at the Battle of the Somme in 1916, aged 23, wrote home during training the previous year.

"My dear mother, am still alive and kicking, after a fashion," he said.

Thanking her for sending cakes, he added: "I think they were the means of saving my life last week."

Hughes said it was these personal accounts that he hoped would resonate most strongly with younger visitors.

The exhibition also includes stories from his own family.

His father was the only survivor when the tank he was travelling in near Cologne was hit by enemy fire in World War Two, killing his best friend and the rest of the crew.

Later, he witnessed the liberation of the Belsen concentration camp.

Another relative, Hughes' grandfather, served with the Cheshire Regiment. His brother was killed at Gallipoli when an ambulance was blown up, something Hughes said he only learned many years later.

He also recalled his grandfather falling asleep in his chair and speaking French or Belgian in his sleep, decades after returning from war.

The exhibition was inspired by years of attending remembrance events and noticing public interest gradually decline.

Hughes said he remembered close to 100 wreaths once being laid at Wolverhampton's main war memorial near St Peter's Collegiate Church, compared with only a few dozen in recent years.

While he accepted that interest naturally faded as the wars receded into history, he believed their lessons remained relevant.

"In today's world it is more important than ever to have a solid grasp and understanding of the history of these dark times," he said.

"I hope the display will make some think and many learn things they never knew or understood.

"Things that will make them view the past differently."

The display remains at Wolverhampton Central Library until 14 November.

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