Museum to lose thousands of military artefacts

Museum of Chelmsford curatorial and learning manager Kate Reeder said the loss of its regimental artefacts was typical of developments happening at other museums in England

A museum will lose thousands of its military artefacts when a local charity dissolves.

The Essex Regiment section of more than 50,000 artefacts has been on display at the Museum of Chelmsford since 1973.

But once the Essex Regiment Museum Trust is dismantled next year, the collection will be passed to the ownership of the Royal Anglian Regiment Museum Trust, which is based at IWM Duxford in Cambridge.

The curatorial and learning manager at the museum, Kate Reeder, said the move was "not unusual", given trends at other sites in England.

"We're seeing smaller regimental collections across the country being subsumed into larger military museums that are better placed to care for them," she explained.

"The move is also quite fitting in a way as it reflects the evolving history of the Essex Regiment, which by 1964 had amalgamated with other county regiments across England – including Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire – to become the Royal Anglian Regiment."

She said the collection would "really benefit" from the Royal Anglian Regiment Museum's expertise.

The Essex Regiment collection has been displayed in Chelmsford since 1973

Chairman of the Essex Regiment Museum Trust, Dennis Vincent, said: "It is vital that the legacy of the Essex Regiment and the incredible stories of its soldiers are preserved and shared with future generations."

Stephen Card, chairman of the Royal Anglian Regiment Museum Trust, said his team was "committed" to ensuring that the important Essex story "continues to be told".

Staff were exploring how the Essex Regiment could still be "meaningfully represented" by keeping a portion of the artefacts on permanent display at the Oaklands Park site in Chelmsford, Mr Card added.

The museum in Chelmsford has been located in Oaklands Park since 1930

The Essex Regiment fought in both world wars before merging with the Royal Anglian Regiment in 1958.

The section at Chelmsford will close on 4 January, but the Essex Yeomanry collection is not due to be affected.