Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum tells the story of the county’s military heritage through 50 objects in new exhibition

Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum tells the story of the county’s military heritage
through 50 objects in new exhibition
• New exhibition displays 50 key objects which tell the story of the county’s military heritage
• Objects on display illustrate Oxfordshire stories from the Napoleonic Wars to the Second World War
• Insights into wartime life in the county, and the history of the two county regiments, The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry and Queen’s Own Oxfordshire Hussars
• Alongside the exhibition, the museum will be offering 50 Objects outreach talks, bringing their collections to you

Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum, the county’s military history museum based in
Woodstock, will open a brand-new exhibition entitled Oxfordshire’s Military
Heritage in 50 Objects from 21 March to 30 April 2026.
The collection of objects going into the exhibition combine highlights from the
museum’s permanent displays from the past 10 years with recently donated items on
show for the first time. Museum Director, Ursula Corcoran, said;
“50 Objects brings many objects out of the archive and into the public gaze for the
first time. We hope visitors will be inspired by the county’s military heritage and
even think of the family stories and treasures they hold themselves”.
The objects have been selected from the 14,500 items preserved in the collection of
SOFO Museum to give a glimpse into the story of Oxfordshire’s military heritage.
These objects tell the stories of residents of the county and the soldiers of
Oxfordshire’s regiments who have been impacted by, and influenced, conflict across
the centuries.
Oxfordshire’s military story stretches back nearly 2000 years, from the earliest
named soldier in the county, Lucius Valerius Geminus, a veteran of the Second
Augustan Legion who was buried at Alcester in 79AD. The county’s regiments played roles in shaping the most significant conflicts of the last 200 years, from
Waterloo to pivotal battles of the First and Second World Wars.
Throughout history, Oxfordshire soldiers have led the charge, at the forefront
of world-changing events. A 19th century shako cap and Waterloo Medal highlight
the 52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot’s role in Napoleon’s defeat at the battle and
encounter with his Imperial Guard.
A signed sketch and set of binoculars are used to illustrate their descendants’
famous role during D-Day, 1944. 2nd Battalion Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire
Light Infantry were some of the first British troops to land in Normandy, leading the
capture of two vital bridges over the Orne River and Caen canal in the early hours of
the morning. The sketch of a Horsa glider, signed by the men who took part in the
capture of what would become known as Pegasus Bridge, includes a note from one of
the glider pilots, SSgt Wallwork, who wrote; ‘On 5-6th June ’44 I carried the best
troops (Ox & Bucks & Engineers) in both Airborne Divisions (but don’t tell
t’others).’

The exhibition will include a collection of objects first uncovered by a
French farmer in 2013, alongside the remains of an unidentified officer. Scraps
of a uniform, badges, buttons, a pocket watch (pictured) and trench whistle
provided some clues which helped museum volunteers narrow down his identity
to one of a small number of candidates, including Osmond Bartle Wordsworth,
a collateral descendant of the famous poet, William Wordsworth. However, it
was a chance encounter with a visitor to the museum, who knew another
descendant that enabled DNA testing, through the Ministry of Defence, Joint Casualty and
Compassionate Centre (JCCC), which finally confirmed his identity.

In 2022, 9 years from when he was discovered, and 105 years since he fell during the Battle of Arras,
his grave was rededicated in his name, no longer an unknown casualty of war. Ingram Murray, one of the volunteers involved with the research that helped identify Lt. Wordsworth, explains;
“After prolonged research with another volunteer using a wide range of sources, we successfully established that the remains were of Lieutenant Osmond Wordsworth, who had transferred to the Machine Gun Corps before being killed in action”.

One of the most recently donated objects that will go on display for the first
time at the museum is incredibly local – a set of beautifully decorated blackout
curtains that came from a house on Park Street, Woodstock, just doors down from the
museum. Discovered while clearing a loft, the curtains had belonged to Joan Mary
Shelmadine, one of the founders of the Samson press, which operated out of
Woodstock from 1937. Dated 1941, the curtains had been used throughout the
Second World War, then remained in the house in Woodstock ever since. 

Alongside the exhibition, the museum will be expanding its outreach
programme by taking a package of talks themed around 50 Objects on the road,
offering to bring selections of objects with an expert speaker to clubs, societies and
organisations across the county. Talks and speakers are now bookable by contacting
the museum or visiting the website.
Alongside its many volunteers that have contributed to and made this
exhibition possible, the museum would like to thank the Greening Lambourne Trust
for supporting the development of this new exhibition and outreach programme.