Wives and Sweethearts at National Army Museum

An exhibition entitled Wives and Sweethearts at National Army Museum is on show this year illustrating the difficult nature of love in the forces. Covering the history of romance, courtships, marriages and separation from the Napoleonic War up to more contemporary conflicts in the Gulf, the exhibition sheds light on all aspects of being involved with a soldier.

Wives and Sweethearts at National Army Museum
Featuring a selection of profoundly personal objects, including love letters, gifts, photos and postcards, the exhibition looks at the other side of the battlefield, with those left at home and working on the sidelines. Taking in all aspects of family and relationships from the 18th century, visitors can gain access to a wealth of social history that reveals the long distance relationships, the heart felt passion, the fears and doubts, and the tragic losses incurred by both those at the front, and at home.

A woman's work
Charting the fascinating history of love during times of conflict, Wives and Sweethearts at National Army Museum also looks at the changing role of women throughout military history. Beginning with the Women of the Regiment in the 19th century who cooked and laundered for the soldiers, the exhibition works it's way up to present day female recruits, who can also be posted on long tours and on the recieving end of the same doubts, longing feelings and joys of reunion as their fellow men.

Exhibtion highlights
Included in the exhibition on love in the armed forces are a variety of different objects that capture the spirit of a relationship or cast light on the social nature of romance during wartime period. Visitors to Wives and Sweetheart at National Amry Museum can see a love token from a Waterloo soldier to his wife, a letter sent from the Boer War containing a pressed flower, embroidered postcards from the First World War, a diamond encrusted sweetheart brooch from the Second World War and a note from a Captain during the Gulf War stating that the Army Chaplain was inundated by requests from couples wishing to be married.

Military love lives
Taking into account all different aspects of romance in a soldiers life, the exhibition is divided into sections charting courtship, engagement, weddings, separation and reunion. At the heart of the exhibition on Wives and Sweethearts at National Army Museum is the prospect of being married to someone who spends long periods of time away from home and continually puts their lives in danger for the good of their country. Capturing the essence of these emotions in artefacts such as a note from Sergeant Anthony Baker telling his wife that she was "the only girl that ever mattered," and a letter from Mrs Jones to her husband serving in Gibralter in 1902 telling him that their eldest child had died, the museum show displays the highs and lows of relationships in the army.

Wives and Sweetheart at National Army Museum takes place from Wednesday 9th February - Saturday 30th July 2011. Entrance is free.

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