Museum battle: How it all began

Great heroism was displayed at Minden, Germany, in 1759 against the French; again when they helped inflict the first defeat on Napoleon's army in Italy in 1806, and then most famously during the ill-fated Gallipoli landings in Turkey in 1915 when the Lancashire Fusiliers won six VCs "before breakfast".

But the battle they are presently engaged in promises to be one of the toughest in their 300-year history. No medals will be won. And victory is by no means certain.

Their campaign, planned with military precision, is to raise £1.3 million of public money by September so that building work can begin on providing a modern museum in their traditional home town of Bury. Without that million, the Heritage Lottery Fund could withold the £2 million they have said they will contribute if they like the plans.

But why do the Fusiliers - since 1968 the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers - need a new museum anyway? After all, they already have one at Wellington Barracks, Bury.

They do, but it is a badly-lit, pokey "cupboard" of a place which, to its credit, has given some sort of permanent purpose to a building which was the training headquarters of the regiment until 1961 when the last intake of proud recruits passed out. It has tried to cope with the growing volume of LF memorabilia and artefacts, but for many years the regimental museum has groaned under the weight of its famous legacy. Yet for visitors it remains an Aladdin's Cave of fascinating military artefacts - if you can find them!

"Most people in Bury knew we had a museum, although many of them had never been there. There it was, sitting in Bolton Road among the remainder of Wellington Barracks, and just getting on with being a museum. Trouble is, it wasn't getting on with it very well," says Rosemary Allen, whose company, Headland Design Associates, is spearheading the campaign.

"There was no room to expand, no modern displays, nothing for children to do. The conditions weren't suitable for keeping such amazing historical artefacts."

In addition, there was no money. And with only around 5,000 visitors a year, and little financial help from the Ministry of Defence, the museum was facing an uncertain future.

In the late 1990s the colonels commanding the three regiments the Warwick, Northumberland and Lancashire Fusiliers which now make up the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, agreed that a new regimental museum was needed. Bury was chosen as the best location, but basing it at Wellington Barracks was not an option. It had to be big, and it had to be modern. The search was on to find a "home".

With the help of Bury Council who will continue to provide £30,000 of annual funding the Fusiliers were offered the Arts and Crafts Centre in Broad Street at a peppercorn rent, a listed building in the heart of Bury's so-called "Cultural Quarter". It will become a new neighbour for the refurbished art gallery and museum and the relocated adult education centre, which has made way for it.

The new museum, scheduled to open in autumn 2007, will bear little resemblance to the old one, reflecting the modern trend towards hands-on, interactive displays rather than dusty old exhibits in glass cases.

"Museums these days can be immensely entertaining. We feel that we have had a thoroughly good time and a rewarding visit when we have been entertained and also learned something new. The museum will have this goal at the heart of its development," said Rosemary.

But it won't just be "entertaining". It will be educational too; indeed, it must visibly acknowledge the need to inform in order to secure the promised Heritage Lottery cash.

The social history of the Arts and Crafts building itself will not be forgotten. It played a big part in training workers in the cotton spinning, dyeing and bleaching industries and it was from the local mills that the LFs' battalions were filled, particularly in the First World War. Whole streets and entire mills were emptied of men 30,000 for The Great War many of whom never returned. They grew up together, played together, worked together, fought together and finally died together in the trenches and graveyard battlefields of northern France and Belgium. Their loss changed the dynamics of work for ever, with women having to operate the growing number of idle looms as well as bring up the family.

Permanent exhibits will be seen in the context of contemporary world events of the day, backed by occasional lectures and demonstrations for the more inquisitive. A touch screen computer will give visitors access to the Fusiliers' archive and its lists of serving soldiers, while military history books can be viewed by appointment. School visits will be encouraged, with drama and role play used to bring to life stories of wartime misery at home and heroic deeds on the battlefield. They would even like to set up a "Young Friends" group to help sustain the interest among students.

The development work is being co-ordinated by deputy colonel of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (Lancashire), Colonel Brian Gorski. who has consulted with dozens of past and present Fusiliers.

"This project will add significantly to the quality of life in Bury, its tourist appeal and its educational facilities. Raising the money will be hard work but it is a task we are equal to."

To give momentum to that fundraising, business leaders and influential individuals are being invited to information lunches where sponsorship packages can be discussed. In addition, money will be raised through a series of themed events, while army cadets and volunteers will be out on the streets collecting.

This report first appeared in the March-April, 2006, edition of our Limited Edition magazine. You can view the latest edition on-line here