Military children from Oxfordshire who have contributed to a special exhibition at the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum were invited to see their stories and photos in-situ this week at an event held to mark Armed Forces Day.
The event was hosted by military children’s charity, Little Troopers, which partnered with the museum in Woodstock to curate content for its ‘Children and Military Lives’ exhibition.
More than 20 military children have shared their stories, photos, letters and treasured family items via the charity, bringing to life what life is like for the children of our Armed Forces personnel.
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Through the exhibition, the children explain in their own words how they cope with having their serving parents deployed overseas to different parts of the world, how they find moving house and school every few years – sometimes to overseas locations – and what it’s like to grow up in the British Armed Forces.
Six of the young contributors are teenagers from local school, Carterton Community College and the museum also includes photos and stories from families living at RAF Benson and RAF Brize Norton.
Louise Fetigan, founder of Little Troopers, said: "Military life can be a really unique experience, full of adventure, challenge and change. As a charity, Little Troopers strives to make sure these challenges are better recognised and understood, which is why exhibitions like this one are so important.
"There are more than 100,000 children with parents currently serving in the British Armed Forces and now visitors can learn more about these children’s lives and what life is like in the Armed Forces community through their eyes.”
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Ursula Corcoran, director of Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum, added: "Since we opened in 2014, we have looked to bettering the understanding between civilian and military people’s lives in the county through the museum’s events and exhibitions.
"Our partnership with Little Troopers has given us a valuable platform to explore the lived experiences of today’s military children compared to those of past generations. With these shared experiences and memories reflected in the exhibition, the children who have contributed have done a fantastic job in bringing their stories to life.”
The Children and Military Lives exhibition is open until 24 November. It also tells the stories of children who become victims of war, experiencing the effects of military conflict - from Second World War evacuees to today’s refugees and asylum seekers.
Military children can visit the exhibition for free when their accompanying adult presents a valid MOD90 card.
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