Like so many people, this year my family and I went on holiday in the UK and we chose Lincolnshire. We had a really enjoyable time visiting Lincoln, Boston, Coningsby and Skegness but what struck me was the number of museums and visitor centres focussing on Lincolnshire’s military history, several of which we visited.
My wife and I found the museums and exhibits fascinating but more than anything, they gave our children a glimpse of what life was like during the Second World War. There is little doubt that Lincolnshire played an important role in the war having more RAF bases than anywhere else in the country but also farming, keeping the nation fed during those difficult years. It is therefore entirely predictable that Lincolnshire would have museums dedicated to telling the story of Lincolnshire during the war and these act not just as visitor attractions but important resources for local school children and historians.
This got me thinking - why do we not have a military museum here in Colchester? As a garrison town since Roman times, a town be-sieged during the English Civil War, an important garrison during the Napoleonic Wars and throughout the Victorian period, and a town where several battalions of Kitchener’s Army were trained during the First World War, you would have thought Colchester warranted a dedicated military museum.
Then there is the significant role Colchester played in the Second World War as home to the 4th Infantry Division, a Home Guard that at one point mustered over 2,000 men, attacks during the Blitz and Wivenhoe House being home to the 2nd SAS Regiment.
(The presence of US airmen locally based at the five local air bases is recorded in the Boxted Airfield Museum)
In addition, you have the present day with Colchester being the proud home of 16 Air Assault Brigade, the British Army’s rapid reaction force and the MCTC, the UK’s only military prison (rehabilitation and education facility)
So why do we not have a military museum in Colchester? Why is the Airborne Assault Museum based at The Imperial War Museum at Duxford and not Colchester? Don’t get me wrong, we have some very good museums here in Colchester but a dedicated military museum focussing on our town’s rich military history would be a great addition, attract visitors to Colchester and help educate children locally about our town’s incredible military history.
I propose establishing a working party to try and identify potential sites and funding opportunities and invite anyone interested in helping to get in touch.
The picture is from the We'll Meet Again Museum in Freiston, just outside Boston in Lincolnshire and well worth a visit - http://www.wmamuseum.co.uk/