At War & In Peace project to be funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund
29 Apr 2025
Northumberland Archives has been awarded £138,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for an ambitious project commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
“At War & In Peace: The WW2 Home Front and Post-War Reconstruction in Northumberland” aims to take a new look on the county’s wartime and post-war experiences to discover previously untold stories.
Sue Wood, Head of Archives at Northumberland Country Council, said: “This anniversary is a huge opportunity as it may be the last chance we get to speak to people who lived through WWII – we are very grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the people who play the lottery for this vital support.
“Through exhibitions, educational workshops and community engagement the project promises to be a fitting tribute to the sacrifices and resilience of the people of Northumberland, 80 years on from the conflict that shaped their lives.
“Young people will see how lessons can be learned from the past and how the War effort by ordinary communities made such a difference - and can be aligned to current efforts to create a more sustainable world.”
With education as one of the key priorities workshops are set to be rolled out across 35 schools, using high-quality learning resources created by the team to enable students to explore wartime history through engaging, hands-on activities.
For example, some pupils will be taught the ‘Lindy Hop’, a popular dance of the times, and some enjoy ‘victory teas’ - echoing the celebrations held across the Uk at the end of the War.
“At War & In Peace” will also allow Northumberland Archives to add content to their collections by archiving digital outputs from some of the 52 community projects that Northumberland County Council is supporting via the VE 80 Fund.
Grants provided by the Council will allow each of the 52 groups to develop their own community project to mark the anniversary. The Council is also commemorating the anniversary with a service in Hexham Abbey.
Sue explained: “The community initiatives will ensure that local stories and personal histories are preserved by Northumberland Archives so they can be shared with future generations.”
Oral history interviews will be conducted with descendants of people who lived at the Polish resettlement camp in Morpeth. Many people from the camp integrated into British society creating lasting Polish communities in the area.
Those who chose not to return to their homeland after the War due to the communist regime played a huge role in the county’s post-war reconstruction and resettlement.
Exhibitions will be held at Morpeth, Berwick, in some of the county’s 30 libraries and other public venues, as well as at Armed Forces Day events.
These exhibitions will explore key aspects of life on the ‘Home Front’, including WWII campaigns such as ‘Dig for Victory and ‘Make Do and Mend’ along with showcasing the resilience of local communities.
Extensive research by the archives team who will explore the existing archives, uncatalogued materials, and records held at the Imperial War Museum and The National Archives,
The aim is to discover unknown tales from Northumberland’s wartime and post-war past - giving a platform to those whose experiences remained untold due to secrecy or reticence from unsung heroes.
All research findings, interviews and exhibition materials generated by the project will be preserved by Northumberland Archives to inform and inspire residents for years to come.
*Rural Northumberland was the target of bombing raids during the 1939-45 War. Although there is no overall casualty figure the biggest tragedy was when the Wilkinson's Lemonade Factory, in North Shields (then part of Northumberland) which was used as an air-raid shelter and suffered a direct hit. 103 people were killed, including 42 children.