As the month of August comes to an end, the object of the fortnight has being chosen in remembrance of the 1945 Atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In the museum collection there are many different items relating around the anti-nuclear theme. This blog will give examples of some of the main ones.  A Bit […]

August Objects of the Month: Berlin ’89 poster by Gustav Brauer and Berlin Wall fragment The 13th August 2016 marked the 55th anniversary of the construction of the Berlin Wall. This month we have two objects of the month, the first is a fragment of the Berlin Wall. The Wall was pulled down in November 1989 […]

This month’s object of the month blog is about Sir Joseph Rotblat (born Józef Rotblat on 4 November 1908).  Rotblat was a Polish-born and British-naturalised physicist.  He was the only physicist to leave the Manhattan Project on the grounds of conscience and his work on nuclear fallout was a major contribution to the agreement of […]

On the 28th June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand, the Treaty of Versailles was signed in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles near Paris. This ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. Although the Armistice was signed on 11 November 1918, […]

This month’s object of the month is a copy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR’s), this particular copy is from 1993, and it is not particularly rare or valuable. However it represents the importance and lasting legacy of the UDHR’s on the world. The original Universal Declaration of Human Rights was created back […]

The War Resisters International (WRI) was founded on this day (March 16th) in 1921, with a founding declaration that has remained unchanged. “War is a crime against humanity.  I am therefore determined not to support any kind of war and to strive for the removal of all kinds of war.” WRI are a global pacifist […]

International Conscientious Objectors’ Day, 15th May 2016 The International Conscientious Objectors’ (CO) day is marked around the world each year on the 15 May, to raise awareness of those who stood up to protect their rights to refuse to kill and refused to participate in armed conflict. The day was first established by the International […]

‘Stop Trident’ Demo in London On Saturday 27th February there was a huge national demonstration to protest against the renewal of Britain’s nuclear weapons system: Trident.  The whole demo was organised by the CND (the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) and tens of thousands of people were estimated to have attended, making it Britain’s largest anti-nuclear […]

This month’s object of the month is a booklet entitled ‘While you are in England, Helpful Information and Guidance for Every Refugee.’ The booklet was issued to a German Jewish refugee from the 1930s/40s upon their arrival to England. The booklet was issued by the German Jewish Aid Committee in conjunction with the Jewish Board […]

Centenary of Conscription 100 years ago this year on January 27th 1916, two years into WWI, conscription was introduced for the first time in Britain.  Under the Military Service Act of 1916 all fit, single men aged 18 – 41 were liable for call up, this was eventually raised to 51 years.  Exemptions could only […]