People’s Collection Wales – In Wales we are very fortunate to have this Welsh Government funded, bilingual, free, non-commercial website dedicated to helping people share their photos and stories online. When you add your material to the site it is stored securely and will continue to be accessible for future generations. You can upload photographs, documents and videos, and you can create collections and stories from your own and other items on the site.
The U-Boat Project and partner museums and groups have uploaded material onto the People’s Collection Wales website, which has been collected during the project and, together with material already on the site, created collections and stories relating to the War at Sea. Why not add yours too?
It is easy to add your material to People’s Collection Wales. If you are new, you need to register on this page and then go to the upload page which takes you through the steps. There are user guides to help you.
Examples of some of the material added to the site:
Wilfred Charles Powell, Royal Naval Volunteer Reservist who served as a wireless operator onboard the minesweeper HMS Hambledon when launched in 1917. Brought to a roadshow event by David K Powell and uploaded to People’s Collection Wales by Cymry'rRhyfelMawr / Welsh Voices of the Great War.
Combine your information and images into an easy-to-read leaflet using software such as Microsoft Publisher. The leaflet can be printed and distributed to libraries, schools, museums, tourist information centres etc. This will enable you to share your information with a range of different audiences who wouldn’t otherwise find it online.
The range of materials you have gathered and items created can be displayed together at your local library, museum, community hall or even an empty shop. There is always an interest in local stories and seeing historical material that might be new to people.
Many groups welcome speakers to give a talk to their members especially if it’s a topic of local interest. A talk is a great way to share the information you’ve gathered, generate interest and gather more stories from the audience. Put together a slideshow using software like PowerPoint and write or memorise a script to go with it. Offer your talk to local groups or venues.
Art is a fantastic way to make history accessible, below are some creative responses by volunteers and groups exploring aspects of the war at sea. These are examples of what can be done with a group of people inspired by a story, an image or a visit to a museum or archive.