Donating Material

THE CENTRE NEEDS YOU!

Ruth Darling (MA Museum Studies student) uses a museum vacuum to clean a uniform.

Claire Harder uses cotton gloves when showing Centre artwork to James Brown of Morley High School

There are only 5-10 years left for the Centre to maximise its collection, before a great deal of the material and testimony will have been lost. This imperative brings with it the urgent need for help in identifying and preserving material and capturing oral memories. Ironically the team at the Centre has to battle the quite erroneous assumption that material from this relatively recent period is of no historical significance or value. If you have Second World War documentation, memorabilia or memories - either relating to your own wartime experience or that of a family member or friend - we would be delighted to hear from you. You can either donate the material or deposit it on 'fixed-term renewable loan' and we will ensure that it is properly cared for.

The main subject areas covered by the collection are:

• Archives (e.g. letters, diaries)
• Photographs
• Textiles (e.g. elements of uniform)
• Metals (e.g. medals)
• Ephemera (e.g. cigarette cases, trinket boxes, soldiers' 'housewives' etc.)
• Books (published volumes are held in our library)
• The Centre also has a large collection of oral history interviews which are held on audio cassette and a small collection of video material.

For more details on collection care or to contact us to offer Second World War material for our collections, please contact All staff at the Centre are happy to discuss any concerns you might have so please do not hesitate to contact us.

Appeal for Scottish Contact

The Second World War Experience Centre at Horsforth, Leeds, exists to document the lives of men and women who lived through the 1939-1945 years.  More than seven thousand people now have their youth covered in the Centre by original documents, memorabilia and memories.  It is an international archive keenly concerned to welcome contact with people who might be able to contribute to the Centre’s work –men and women from all walks of life and from all nations.  Scottish representation is particularly strong but is under represented in shipyard, heavy industry, factory and fishermen experiences.

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