Historic Worcestershire display on show for final time ahead of move to new location
The Worcestershire Soldier Gallery is set to be on display for the final time today (31 August) in Worcester City's Art Gallery & Museum ahead of its move to Worcester's The Commandery
A display which tells the story of soldiers from Worcestershire regiments all the way back to the 17th century is set to be on show for the final time at its current location today (31 August), ahead of its planned move to a new one.
Collections of the Mercian Regiment Museum (Worcestershire) called “The Worcestershire Soldier” have been at Worcester City's Art Gallery and Museum since the 1970s.
The current displays have been there for over twenty years with the help of a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
It was announced in January 2024 the Mercian Regiment Museum (MRM) had been awarded a grant by the National Lottery Heritage Fund to develop the Worcestershire Soldier at The Commandery, in partnership with Museums Worcestershire and the Worcestershire Yeomanry Museum.
MRM say the move will secure the future of the gallery, as well as bringing the Worcestershire Soldier’s story into the heart of the heritage quarter.
"The Worcester Soldier is not going away, it's just not going to be available to the public as we take it down from one place, conserve it, and create and put it in The Commandery's display," said Mark Jackson, chair of the board of trustees of the Mercian Regiment Museum.
"This move actually gives us the opportunity to update and modernise our display and we are in the process already of designing the new one."
As part of the move, JP Beadle’s Gheluvelt painting, created in 1920 to commemorate the 1914 Battle of Gheluvelt, has been moved to the Guildhall in Worcester so it can stay on display in the main staircase of the building.
According to records, over 300 men of the 2nd Battalion Worcestershire Regiment were involved in the conflict which saw them take back the control of Gheluvelt, now known as Geluveld on the map, and the chateau there.
187 soldiers from the regiment were said to be killed or wounded as they pushed back the enemy and forced the Germans to retreat.