Exhibition explores impact of WW1 on the county

Oct 30 2008 by Marjorie Kerr, West Lothian Courier

A SPECIAL exhibition is being held in West Lothian to mark the 90th anniversary of the end of the First World War.

Councillor Jim Walker recently opened Call to Arms: West Lothian in the Great War at Broxburn Library.

Local residents and students from Deans Community High School in Livingston, have worked with West Lothian Council Museums Service to produce the new exhibition marking the 90th anniversary of the end of the war.

Tom Gordon, from Armadale, was the expert adviser for the exhibition.

Call to Arms shows how many aspects of life in West Lothian were affected by the war and also commemorates the sacrifices of those who served in the forces.

The exhibition covers the outbreak of war, war hospitals and the role of women as well as stories of several local heroes.

The display includes an interactive touchscreen, where you can see extracts from the war diary of a Blackridge soldier, Private Peter Jack, who served in Gallipoli and Egypt in 1915 and 1916.

Students from Deans Community High School have contributed their moving reactions to studying the war and visiting the battlefields of France and Belgium.

The exhibition will be open at Broxburn Library during normal library hours and is free to the public.

The exhibition will run until November 22, before moving to Linlithgow.

In 2009, the display will also be seen in Armadale, Blackridge and Whitburn.

Elizabeth Henderson, museums development officer, said: “Nearly every local family suffered loss in the Great War, yet most coverage of the war is national.

“We hope this exhibition will help people to understand the huge local impact of the war.”