The next exhibition opening on Wednesday 8 November 2023 at Cheshire Military Museum will focus on the role played by the Bantam Battalions during the First World War.
One of the untold stories of WW1, Cheshire played a key role in the “bantam battalions” after a group of miners, rejected from every recruiting office, had made their way to Birkenhead to see the MP there. A petition by the MP to the War Office led to an ‘undersized’ fighting unit which “proved a mighty force”.
The exhibition titled ‘Cheshire Bantams in the First World War: An institutional and personal history’ charts the exploits of one young man’s adventures through the Great War and his life beyond. It focuses on Fred Livesey, a labourer from Preston who travelled to Chester to enlist in ‘Bigland’s Bantams’, newly formed battalions for those men wishing to join the Army who did not meet the height requirement for enlistment which was then 5’3”.
The exhibition is curated by Sean Livesey as part of his BA (Hons) History degree at University of Central Lancashire. It opens on November 8, 2023 and runs until February 2024
Come to the museum to find out more!