Chester Business Club members were kindly invited to a VIP preview of the Purple Poppies exhibition at the Cheshire Military Museum on Wednesday 6 November 2024.
Jan Chillery as Chair of Chester Business Club, thanked Mike Huntriss as Vice Chair of the Friends of Cheshire Military Museum for the kind invitation to the CBC. Attendees included Gavin Floyd (Club Vice Chair), Rosalind Ellis (Club Membership Officer), Richard Jenkins (Club Treasurer) and Richard Kershaw (Executive Councillor), Stephen Ogilby of PFPS Wealth Management, Claire Brook of Aaron & Partners, Anita Jones of C&C Insurance Brokers, Ray Basford of Addhire Selfdrive Ltd, Christopher and Sally Maltby of Maltby & Co and Mark Whitfield of Wurkplace.
The Purple Poppy is a symbol of remembrance for animals that have served in war and the suffering they endured. It is worn to honour the service and sacrifices of animals that have been drafted into war and serves as a reminder that animals have no choice in participating in war.
The new temporary exhibition at Cheshire Military Museum opens to the public on 7 November until January 2025. It brings together stories of horses, donkeys, mules, dogs and pigeons through writings, poetry and artwork and artefacts.
The VIP event on 6 November was attended the Right Worshipful the Lord Mayor of Chester, Cllr Razia Daniels, and the Lord Mayor’s Consort, Stephen Daniels. Also attending were Mayors from the Cheshire and Wirral areas and military personnel. A Cadet proudly accompanied each Mayor around the exhibition.
Also attending was the Regimental Mascot for the Mercian Regiment (which includes Cheshire) – a Swalesdale ram named Private Derby XXXIII (33rd). Private Derby was accompanied by the Ram Major and Ram Orderly.
The museum, which is in Castle Square, Chester, will host the exhibition until January 2025.
In pride of place are the ‘Richmond Poppies’, made by crafters in Richmond Yorkshire and mounted on Army camouflage netting from Catterick. These crocheted purple poppies were created to highlight the contributions of animals and birds in war and peacekeeping activities. They were gifted to the Northern Region of the Donkey Breed and form part of this fascinating collection organised and on loan to Cheshire Military Museum by The Donkey Breed Society.
It is the final leg of the collection’s tour of three military museums of the north, the others being the York Army Museum and Cumbria’s Museum of Military Life.
The Exhibition runs through November and December and can be visited Thursday to Sunday. School visits are Tuesday and Wednesdays.
On Saturday 16th November, there will be donkeys at the Museum for a Family Fun Day.
Special knitting and crochet Poppy Kits will be available in the museum shop for everyone to create their own poppies.
The Donkey Breed Society is a registered charity that provides support and friendship to a nationwide community that shares a passion for donkeys. Together with War Horse Memorial in the UK www.thewarhorsememorial.org and groups in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and America they commemorate the amazing and often extremely harrowing roles that animals have played.
More information: https://donkeybreedsociety.co.uk
The Cheshire Military Museum in Chester tells the story of Cheshire military personnel from the 17th Century to the present day. The museum also houses the Archive of the Cheshire Regiment. Schools and college visits are welcome, with a full programme of visits tailored to make it an exciting and thought-provoking experience using hands-on displays and artefacts.
More information at https://cheshiremilitarymuseum.org.uk/
