A MUSEUM has appealed for people to share their stories of life during the First World War.

Brightlingsea Museum is keen to collect memories handed down of family members who served in the trenches as well as life on the home front.

Curator Margaret Stone is keen to start on an exhibition marking the beginning of the war 100 years ago.

She said: “What we are really looking for is information about local men who were involved in the First World War.

“There were 1,000 people involved with the armed services from Brightlingsea and with a population of less than 5,000, that’s enormous.

“We know about the men who died, but we don’t know about the men who came back – that’s what I’m really interested in.

“As a town we had something like 10,000 Australians come through the town because there was an engineering school, but they did not arrive until 1915.

“We have got a lot on that and some wonderful photos, but so little about local people.

“I want to kick off with what families were doing on the home front in 1914. I know there’s nobody still alive from that time, but people might have medals, photos, documents or even oral history they could share.”

  • If you can help, contact the Margaret Stone on 01206 303286 or e-mail margaret@bright97.freeserve.co.uk. Alternatively you can visit the Facebook page by searching for Brightlingsea Museum.