Sir – With the commemorations to mark the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War, it is a good opportunity to remind people of the current exhibition at the Witney & District Museum.
I visited the museum recently and was really quite moved by the focus on the First World War and, in particular, Witney’s involvement and contribution to that conflict.
Most especially moving were the typescripts of letters from Captain Sidney Smith, whom some older residents might remember.
The letters home tell of his experiences in the Oxford & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry throughout his service between 1914-19.
They are really something and what better reminder could there be than the words of someone local who witnessed the horrors at first hand.
The war and its aftermath brought many changes to our society and it’s so important we don’t forget and, especially, that we remember the sacrifice of more than one million Allied troops in that terrible conflict.
The museum is just off High Street, in Gloucester Court Mews.
Andrew Coles, Councillor, Witney Central ward, Farmington Drive, Witney
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