Liverpool Scottish Regimental Museum Trust
Newsletter No. 5 Issued 23rd May 2003
Chairman: Professor Donald Ritchie FRSE DL Hon Curator: Dennis Reeves Esq.
Hon Secretary: Major (retd) IL Riley TD FSA Scot Hon Treasurer: Major K.Ravenscroft
Dear Friend of the Liverpool Scottish Museum,
I apologise for the gap of over 12 months between newsletters but a huge amount has happened in the meantime which has meant a lot of work for all involved in the Museum. The death of Major David Evans, the physical building of the museum interior and the displays, the organisation of the opening events themselves, the preparation of the documentation of the Museum connected with our application to Resource for fully registered status and the preparation of our successful bid to the North West Museums Service for a grant towards conservation and environmental control have been priorities together with the trip to Ieper/Ypres and the rededication of the War Memorials. Unfortunately, there are still research queries originating from before Christmas that are still in the pipe line. I hope you feel that the wait will be worthwhile.
The previous newsletters can be seen in the Archive file.
Openings Additional to Wednesday Afternoon and Evenings
The Museum is normally open on Wednesdays from 2 pm until 7 pm (and at other times by mutually convenient appointment) but please check by 'phoning 0151 645 5717 (Curator - home) or 07952 169285 (Museum). The following additional dates are/were offered
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Award of Fully Registered Status to the Museum
The
Trustees are pleased to announce that the Museum
has been awarded fully registered status (No.431)
by Resource (The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries) from 13th
February 2003. There are about 1500 fully registered museums in the
country. We have been seeking this for about some time as a provisionally
registered museum and and had a made a lot
of progress towards full status when Forbes House, Childwall, closed in 1999. There are
a couple of riders on the award of 'fully registered status' which involve completing
our documentation and putting in place clear policies for collection management
and a system for executing them. This is no small task in itself but we have a
plan and a timetable (which has slipped only minimally)
The Museum Registration scheme was set up
The award of full registration is open to all museums with a long-term commitment to quality and public service and shows that a museum
Resource (The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries) is the body that administers the scheme. The museum holds some six sided A4 information sheets for anyone interested. More information about the registration scheme can be found here. We still aim to improve our standards in line with the recent publication, Benchmarks in Collection Care.
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Official Opening of the Museum
The official opening of the Museum in
the new premises at Botanic Road took place on Saturday 17th November. Over 50
guests joined the Trustees of the Museum and Colonel Alan Waterworth,
Lord-Lieutenant of Merseyside, and Mrs.Waterworth. 
Amongst those present were
Mrs. Ethna Foster-Carter, her son, Aidan, and her daughter, Mrs. Claire Silk, for the presentation of the pocket watch of Captain Noel Chavasse VC
and Bar, MC to the Museum. Mrs. Foster-Carter is a niece of Noel Chavasse.
Following the reception and the opening ceremony, there was a fork supper. It
was unfortunate that the museum could not accommodate more people for the
ceremony but it was packed to capacity. The Museum Trustees are most grateful to
the Liverpool Scottish ACF unit (commanded by WO1 John Pollock) for their
assistance, co-operation and support in all the opening functions, including the
'At Home' nights (see below) and they could not have been successful without the
active and willing support of the cadets. It is intended to place a fuller
illustrated account on the site in the next few months.
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Following the official opening in
mid-November, the Museum held three invitation 'At Home' events that ran from 2
pm until 9 pm. They proved exhausting, busy and rewarding. It was good to see so
many of those who had helped us and who had supported us. The Lord Mayor, the
Vice Lord-Lieutenant, the High Sheriff and Brigadier Mike Wharmby, the Commander
of 42 (North West) Brigade, were amongst the many (over 200) who came through
the doors. 
Brigadier Wharmby took the opportunity to present the ACF Patrol Team
with their certificates (see
below). The Trustees know that these functions were only possible
with the support of the ACF and members of the Regimental Association such as
Fred Bates, David Sellars, Bob Davies and Sid Edwards. Their unstinting help is
gratefully acknowledged.
For the purposes of viewing the displays, about 25 people seems to be a comfortable number although, as the official opening showed, 55 makes for a good party. However, we did find that having 55 to 60 people in the room was not the best situation to show off the Museum's treasures. There will be further At Home/Open Days and dates will be offered to the Regimental Association and to the ACF as well as other organisations.
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Since the last newsletter, nearly twelve months ago, work has continued apace at the Museum. Apart from the tireless and completely invaluable work of Dennis Reeves, our Honorary Curator, we are very grateful to
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Amongst other important acquisitions in the period since the last newsletter are
the
most interesting model group given and made by Ivan 'Schrapnel Charlie'
Sinnaeve, representing the Imperial War Museum photograph of Liverpool
Scottish soldiers escorting German prisoners into Ieper/Ypres immediately
after the Battle of Hooge (16th June 1915). This was presented by Ivan
Sinnaeve at the Liverpool Scottish Stone on the Hooge battlefield on
16th June 2002. There will be a feature on the work of 'Schrapnel
Charlie' (who lives near Ypres/Ieper and whose work is created from WW1
battlefield relics such as shrapnel balls and spent bullets) in the next
newsletter.
who rescued it some years ago from the collection of stage props
found in the loft of a Sixth Form College in
Norfolk and destined for the rubbish skip. It came complete with its medal
ribbons (including the Military Medal),
overseas service stripes and 'Legs Eleven' tactical markings. These are two strips of
black cloth coming down from the back of the collar used to denoted the
1st/10th (Scottish) Bn within the 55th (West Lancashire) Division during
WW1. We are grateful to all those who have lent us or given us material
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Conservation and Future Projects
Pictures:
We received a grant from the Liverpool Scottish Regimental Trustees of £400
towards the restoration and conservation of a variety of pictures in addition to
further grants connected with normal maintenance and the opening ceremony.
Included in this was the cleaning and revarnishing of the portrait of Colonel C
Forbes Bell VD, the founding commanding officer. Another interesting project was
the cleaning of an amateur portrait of Sgt John H. Drennan (a Liverpool Scottish WW1 veteran who
was still serving with the Liverpool Scottish in 1955 following WW2 service with
the Cheshire Regiment). His medals hang immediately below.
Many pictures show the signs of exposure to smoke and dust from years of hanging
in messes and coal-heated houses. Others need to be rebacked in acid-free archival material (quite an
expensive operation) since many have poor quality mounts which leads to the
deterioration of the image over a period of time.
Archival
Storage Project and Assistance from the North West Museums Service: Following
a bid to the 'Stewardship Fund' of the North West Museums service we are
to receive a grant of up to £3800 to cover 80% of the costs of improving the
monitoring and control of the Museum environment (with particular regard to
humidity and temperature) and investing in high quality archival storage
materials. Such materials, especially made in restricted quantities for museums
and archives, are necessarily expensive Albums, scrapbooks and notebooks have
been measured so have boxes custom-made. Individual photos and items of
importance will be placed in Melinex sleeves (a polyester material of high
archival standard).
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The life of the Liverpool Scottish Regimental Museum has been overshadowed in
the last few months by the unexpected death of Major David Evans TD, the Honorary
Secretary of the Museum Trust on 13th August 2002.
David had made the most significant contribution to the Museum, and to the Liverpool Scottish in general, since he joined V (The Liverpool Scottish) Company of the 51st Highland Volunteers in 1973. He did not found the Museum and was not its curator but in being the driving force for the creation of a properly constituted trust with charitable status and which was from the beginning aligned with the Army Museums Ogilby Trust (AMOT), standards were driven up and the Museum became a recognized research resource. He and Dennis Reeves formed a formidable team. The closure of Forbes House in 1999 (where the Museum was located on the top floor above the Officers' Mess) raised a huge challenge which David faced with resolve. With the help of fellow trustees, which he would readily acknowledge, he drove forward the location of new premises, the packing and storage of the artifacts and the move into the new premises in Botanic Road. It is a tragedy that the unofficial opening will take place without him but it is a great source of comfort to his friends that he supervised and organised the Rededication of the War Memorials at Botanic Road when the Lord Mayor visited in June 2002. It was a shock to those who saw him taking a leading role in the Liverpool Scottish trip to Ieper (Ypres) in the week following the rededication of the memorials, a trip in which he displayed all his usual energy and good nature, to find that he had died but two months later.
David had not always enjoyed the best of health in recent years but this was
never an obstacle or inhibiting factor. He was active in many other spheres of
Territorial Army life both in the Liverpool Scottish and outside (the Royal
Artillery Officers' Association, the Nation Employers' Liaison Committee,
subsequent service in the Liverpool University OTC, a supporter of both the ABF
and SSAFA).
His thanksgiving service (immediately following the family-only cremation) was attended by over 250 people. There was barely room in the small church to accommodate the people who were standing; they almost outnumbered those with seats. Afterwards, Jean Evans together with daughters Sian and Alexandra welcomed many of the mourners to their house where afternoon of sunshine ensured a wonderful garden party, the like of which David would have been proud to host. The eulogy can be found here
The museum will be, in its own way, a memorial to David. The monument to Sir Christopher Wren, architect of St Paul's Cathedral in London, is a Latin inscription in the floor of that great cathedral 'Si monumentun requiris circumspice' ('If you require a monument, look about you'). So be it for David Evans.
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Rededication of the War Memorials
The
War Memorials, now relocated at the Museum, were rededicated on Sunday June 9th
2002 by the Padre of the Liverpool Scottish Regimental Association, the Rev.
John Williams, in the presence of the Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Jack
Spriggs. All members of the Liverpool Scottish are particularly grateful to
Graham Dowling and Peter Spinks whose skills and efforts made the relocation
possible.
A fuller web page report is at Rededication of the War Memorials at Botanic Road
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Liverpool Scottish Visit to Ieper - Commemoration of Sjt CW Ormesher
There was a highly successful visit
(15th to 17th June 2002) to mark the commemoration of Sjt CW Ormesher at the
Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate on 16th June 2002 and the addition of
his name to the Menin Gate itself in Ieper (Ypres) in Belgium. 
The background to
this was in the last news letter (No.
4 see archive) but
in brief Sjt. Ormesher was reported missing after the action at Hooge on June
16th 1915. His mother refused to accept that he was dead and made efforts to
discover his fate through diplomatic channels. In the event, Ormesher's name
never appeared on either the Menin Gate memorial to the Missing or the Commonwealth
War Graves Commission Register.
A coach at almost full
capacity including the Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside, Colonel Alan Waterworth,
and Mrs. Waterworth and Lt. Colonel Simon Bell, CO of the King's and Cheshire
Regiment, together with a large number of free runners made up a party
of nearly 100 who made the journey. The party visited the the 'In Flanders
Fields' Museum in Ieper and then the Liverpool Scottish stone on the Hooge
battlefield of 16th June 1915 where Ivan 'Schrapnel Charlie' Sinnaeve
presented one of his well-know model scenes to the Liverpool Scottish (see
''Acquisitions' above). After a break at the Hooge Crater Museum, the
Liverpool Scottish went to evensong at St George's Memorial Church (lead by the
Chaplain, the Rev. Ray Jones) at which the sermon was preached by the Rev. Harry
Ross of St. Luke the Evangelist, Walton. The party then marched to the Menin
Gate for the Last Post Ceremony and the commemoration of Sjt Ormesher. 
The Officers' Association held a supper at
the Trompete
Restaurant
where Patricia and Bernard Debacker produced a warm reception together with food and
atmosphere which guaranteed a splendid evening that went for sometime into the
morning. On the Monday morning during the return to the UK, there was a visit to
the grave of Captain Noel Chavasse VC and bar MC and to Talbot House, the Toc H
centre in Poperinghe. Links to most of these places can be found here.
It is intended to place a fuller
illustrated account on the site in the next few months.
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Liverpool Scottish Army Cadet Force Unit - Patrol Competition Success
Although
not strictly Museum news, the ACF unit is our neighbour and the adult
instructors and the cadets of the unit have supported us wholeheartedly in many
ways over the last two years. 
They are a first rate unit and their help did much
to make successes of the official opening night and the subsequent 'At Home'
nights. They have always been prepared to offer help in the long months of
preparation. We would like to congratulate them on winning the 2002 King's Cup
(contested between all King's Regiment badged units) at Warcop for the third
year in a row and for being the overall winners for the year 2002. The photograph displayed
shows (Back row L to R) Sgt Gomez, Cadets Heron and Gomez, WO1 J
Pollock, Cadets Walsh and McClone, (Front
row L to R) Cadets Macdonald, McGinn, Naylor and Byrne together with their two
trophies. Certificates were presented to the team by Brigadier Mike Wharmby
(Commander 42 Brigade) when he visited a Liverpool Scottish Museum 'At Home' in
November 2002
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Yours aye,
Ian Riley
Liverpool
Scottish Regimental Museum Trust (Reg Charity 277953)
Maintained Entirely by Voluntary and Regimental Donations
http://www.liverpoolscottish.org.uk/
Museum Mail to: ilriley@liverpoolscottish.org.uk
Ordinary
mail/donations should be sent to Major I.L. Riley TD FSA Scot, The
Shambles, 51a Common Lane, Culcheth WARRINGTON WA3 4EY
PS. The museum (a registered charity) is entirely self-funding and run by unpaid volunteers using their own resources with no regular financial support from any official source. We are have relocated and refurbished the museum. A display case might cost £3000 and an information board is £200 - £300. Many military museums will not handle an enquiry without a fee (£20 minimum in the case of at least one self-funding museum). We will always respond to a query as well as we can; please consider making a donation if you feel you have received something of value or simply wish to support our project. We are always glad to receive items/copies of photos but we need funds to preserve the archive for benefit of future generations. Donations (no matter how small) by UK taxpayers can be increased by 28% very simply by completing a Gift Aid form at no cost to the donor.
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