Remembrance Day 2018: Cranleigh pupils open pop up museum to mark First World War centenary

As part of the Cranleigh Prep’s remembrance events, head of history Toby Batchelor organised a pop up museum in the hub.

The museum showcased a number of personal artefacts and photos belonging to staff and pupils’ grandparents and even great grandparents.

A school spokesman said: “It was a wonderful and fitting example of what a huge impression the two world wars and current conflicts have had on the whole school community.”

Pupils, parents and staff visited and were amazed at the array of items ranging from weapons (including a sword of the vice admiral of the fleet) from world war one through to a rare copy of an SAS diary and more.

Shells and fuses recovered from the Somme were on display, along with an old spitfire flying jacket from a great grandparent who was held as a prisoner of war at the famous Stalag Luft III camp.

There was an interactive display from the Old Cranleighan Society archives; music composed in the trenches and played to troops and the film, They Shall Not Grow Old were playing in the background. Many children wrote accounts of their own personal family stories, demonstrating how much the wars have touched so many and left their mark.

Toby Batchelor said: “A very big thank you to all our parents, pupils and staff for making such an overwhelming contribution to our pop up museum.

“[The display] helped the children to understand the enormous sacrifices made during the wars.”

For a video of the museum see vimeo.com/300019024