Chatting Behind the Lines

You may wonder why I have given my blog this title.  As I manage a Military Museum, I wanted to give it a title that had a connection with the collections we hold.  My colleague Nick and I spent at least two minutes discussing this before making a brew and changing the subject.  However, in that short timeslot we actually managed to throw around a couple of good ideas and eventually landed with this title.

I didn't want this blog to feel all academic but more like I was sitting in your kitchen chatting (get it?) over a glass of wine/coffee/lemonade - sorry, but I don't drink tea.  However, we knew that the coronavirus was going to change our working practises and it would feel like I was talking from within the Museum, almost behind the lines.  Overlay that with the military connection.  You can see where I am going here but stick with me.  Behind the lines translate that to behind the front line.  Chatting, of course, more commonly associated with the lice infestations experienced by many First World War soldiers. The soldiers spent time crushing the lice between their thumb and finger which became known as 'chatting' (lice known as chatts).  No, I haven't got lice in my cardy but loved the play on words.  So there it is.

As we shut to the public on Wednesday and the Government has recommended that all Museums and Galleries now shut to the public, there felt a need to be able to continue chatting to our (now virtual) visitors.  One of our strengths at the Museum is the connection with our visitors and users.  We have a really friendly team of both staff and volunteers who make the whole Museum feel homely and welcoming.  As we can't open our doors at the moment and have had to send the volunteers home we, the staff, are missing that personal interaction.  Emails are great, WhatsApp connects us daily, the telephone still occasionally rings but we really miss that human contact.  So this blog is my attempt at keeping up the connection, engaging with friends, visitors and those out there in blog-land who want to take the time to read my ramblings and gain a little insight into the life of a Museum Manager.  Oh, and maybe notice that I seem obsessed with our Museum mannequins.  Today's star is our First World War Tommy who can be found in the trench within the Museum.


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