Military museum funding in Preston comes under attack from MOD chiefs

The Post understands Government funding for the archives at Fulwood Barracks could be withdrawn by 2030. And the anticipated attack on the renowned facility is believed to have led some ex-Army top brass to quit as trustees. One recently described the idea of disbanding the museum as "vandalism."

One source at the barracks said: "Some people are very upset about this. This is one of the finest military collections in the country and it could be in danger of closing down."

Officers from the Lancashire Infantry Museum are to meet Ministry of Defence chiefs in January to discuss future funding. And veterans' leaders locally are already planning their strategy should the government cash be withdrawn.

The newly-named Central Lancashire Armed Forces Veterans' Association has stepped up its search for an armed services hub in Preston which could house the Fulwood collection as well as provide vital services for comrades on Civvy Street.

Association President Colonel David Waters has spent the last year looking for the ideal building in the city centre to incorporate both and act as a meeting place for all veterans from across Lancashire, including an estimated 8,000 in Preston and South Ribble alone.

"We may have a battle to fight to save our military museum," he told the Post. "Without public support the area is in danger of becoming a desert of military knowledge, influence and support – a disgrace for an area with such a rich military heritage if that is allowed to come about."

The museum was founded in 1929 as the Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) archive. It also holds the treasures for all the county's infantry regiments including the Queens Lancashire Regiment and the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment. With the future of Fulwood Barracks still uncertain - it has been earmarked to close in 2022, 2027 and now 2030 - the museum could also find itself evicted from what is acclaimed as the finest Victorian Army barracks still surviving in the country.

Col Waters, who is also a trustee of the museum, explained: "The Ministry of Defence part-fund us and the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment are sponsors. They have said they would help to move us somewhere else, if we can find that somewhere. But finding that somewhere is the problem.

"There will be a critical meeting with the Ministry of Defence in January regarding funding support for the museum currently located inside the perimeter of Fulwood Barracks. The question for the trustees, of which I am one, is do we continue to have an over-reliance on Government funding or do we do more to reach out to our potential visitors who are our true sponsors and the true arbiters of the quality of the presentation of the objects and stories they tell? The answer seems obvious to me. We have to do everything we can to engage with the community."

The Association says 2022 was a year of "inevitability and change" with the loss of so many veterans from a dwindling number of World War Two survivors. And it says 2023 will be a year "where some difficult issues have to be faced up to and difficult decisions will have to be made."

Col Waters said: "What will be vital will be the public's support in keeping funding and the assets that will protect our veterans where and when they need it and in retaining a military museum that has the potential to be a valuable asset with a great deal to contribute to the reputation of our area. We will be visiting as many of the veterans' organisations and the local authorities to garner as much public support as we can."

Census figures released recently show that there are 3,900 declared veterans in the city of Preston and a further 4,100 in South Ribble. And Col Waters says the turnout for recent events, including the King's Proclamation and Remembrance Sunday, shows the depth of support the people of Central Lancashire have for the military.

"Yet it's not all good news," he said. "Unfortunately in the Central Lancashire area we have seen a decline in the facilities available to veterans. The closure of the popular 55th Division Club and the more recent closure of the RAF sponsored drop-in Wings Centre, plus the scaling back of Fulwood Barracks, means there are very few facilities available locally for veterans.

"We still continue in our endeavour to find a suitable building to call home - a central hub for all matters military. The vision is a one-stop facility that will include welfare, ceremonial, education, presentations, social events and a drop-in centre. Ideally this would be co-located with a military museum with the Lancashire Infantry Museum at its heart, but representing all three services.

"The vision is to have a Military Heritage Centre that is enjoyable, curious, fills us with wonder and allows us to understand the daring deeds of our forefathers and to give us some insight into what is coming in the future.. And for our veterans the Hub should be a sociable space which quietly undoes social hierarchy and perceived conceptions. Our new museum should be much more than just a repository for objects. It should be a meeting place for people, for ideas and for inspiration.

“Yes, we may have a battle to fight to save our military museum, but I believe a fresh approach, getting it into a more accessible location with vibrant and topical displays which chime with the public will make it an asset worth fighting for and that fight will start in January when the size of the challenge will become clear.”