It was in 2015, that the museum first started preparing to develop its touring exhibition. From the opening of the museum in 2013 to the public, it had always been an aspiration of its Trustees and staff to develop a touring exhibition. Under the guidance and management of the Museum Manager, Melanie Marsh, things started to take shape.

The proposal for the design was a theme of 12 short stories from individuals that encapsulated what it means to be a Rifleman. The hope behind this was that the exhibition would not seem dated in a year or so and could be used for longer.

Funding for the exhibition came from both the Regiment and the Army Museums Oligby Trust, both of whom were pleased to see the museum develop this exhibition as the first small military museum to take on such an ambitious project!

With a small staff and volunteer team, planning began back in Summer 2017 to launch in March 2018. We worked with a local exhibition designer and local graphics production company, with support from AMOT, in particular Fran Stovold, After many hurdles and some slight adjustments to the timescale, the exhibition launched in Cornwall’s Regimental Museum on 16 March and had its formal opening on 10 May.

The museum would highly recommend other small museums trying out touring exhibitions. For those of us curating them, it is a great way of getting our collections out into communities we may not be able to access and, for those borrowing them, a wonderful way to liven up displays.

There is an article on the exhibition’s themes and an information pack available.