12 May 2021

Admiral Court celebrates VE Day with pop-up war museum

In the run up to VE Day, Admiral Court, our care home in Leigh-on-Sea created a WW2 pop-up museum, giving residents an opportunity to reminisce their life stories from that time in history and share their experiences with younger residents and team members.

To create the museum, several pieces of historical artefacts were loaned to our home including gas masks, and other war memorabilia, as well as items acquired over the years to promote meaningful conversations for the residents, supporting their memory and recall.

Lifestyles Assistant at Admiral Court, Jamie Church said: “The event made us realise how much that generation gave up for us and how much they sacrificed for our freedom.”

The event was particularly beneficial for residents to reflect on their experiences during WW2.

Colin Chapman, a resident at our residential, nursing and dementia home, spotted a tin which sparked memories from when he was younger.

He said: ‘When I was in the Merchant Navy, I’d buy those exact same cigarettes. You could only buy them in the 50s. Back then they would of cost about 20p for 50 in today’s money.”

Colin Chapman, aged 85 pictured with a gas mask.

As part of the special event, residents were also able to reflect on the hardships they went through during this time.

Iris Goldfinch who was 17 during the war said: “You would only get a few ounces of butter and cheese a week per person. If you were lucky, you could get a few potatoes.”

Iris Goldfinch, aged 98.

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