World War Two memories gathered by Cambridge museum

Postcards are being made telling the stories of people's artefacts from World War Two

Memories and memorabilia from World War Two are being gathered for a new exhibition to mark the anniversary of the end of the war in September.

The Museum of Cambridge's Post from Home project will turn images of artefacts into a series of postcards featuring a story about each item.

Painted portraits of the items' owners will also be created.

It is hoped the exhibition will show how the effects of the war are still felt 70 years after the hostilities.

Ration books, telegrams, a sword and flare guns are among the items brought in so far.

A sword used in Burma is one of the items which will be on show in the autumn

However, most people have brought in photographs of relatives, which organiser Sheldon Paquin described as "an unexpected but fantastic result".

'Pride'

"The photographs will be a really powerful part of the exhibition as people are often more drawn to photographs of others than objects."

Susan Judd's father worked in the Royal Army Service Corps during the war

Susan Judd brought in a photo of her father, who was in the Royal Army Service Corps, and drove fire trucks and ambulances in Germany as a part of his military service.

She also brought in an engraved brass plaque given to him while he was helping to liberate a town in Germany in 1945.

Mrs Judd's father was awarded a brass plaque for his work with the fire service in Germany

"Dad didn't really talk about the war but I was really proud of him," she said.

Pamela Halpin brought in a photograph of her father, Clifford Campbell Hilliard, who served in Burma and India, and his wedding invitation from when he got married on VJ Day in Lancashire.

Pamela Halpin's father served in Burma in World War Two

One visitor brought in flare guns used by his relatives at a "fake" airfield near Cambridge.

"Marshall's airfield was used for Spitfire training in the war so a fake airfield was set up to fool the enemy," Mr Paquin said.

"It had a fake control tower, lights and everything. His relatives had to go there and shoot off flares at nothing, just to make the place look more real."

The museum is collecting people's artefacts and memories every Tuesday afternoon until 9 June.