Nearly 1000 visitor comments have been collected by the museum in response to its exhibition, Helmand: The Soldiers’ Story, which is open at the Chelsea-based venue until December 2008.
Now the museum is publishing the comments, left by visitors on its comments wall, on its website and also as part of a London Underground advertising campaign launched on July 28 2008 for the closing months of the highly popular exhibition.
"The exhibition has helped to provoke thought about the conflict, and has generated a quite intense response," said Jo Woolley, exhibition team leader and head of marketing at the museum. "We heard from children, parents, pensioners, veterans, soldiers, their families and friends, and international visitors.”
The comments vary from support for the war to opposition to it. However, the over-riding theme is support for the troops on the ground.
“We are proud of our military. The same cannot be said of our politicians,” wrote one visitor to the exhibition, while others questioned the legitimacy of a war fought in a far-off land in difficult conditions with comments like: “I still say it ain’t our war” and “How will that ‘victory’, if it comes, be defined?”
“The comments wall took on a life of its own,” added Jo, “as a social commentary on not only the exhibition, but the conflict, the Government, the latest media stories, and even on other comments made by others. It makes fascinating reading.”
The exhibition, which was Highly Commended at this year's Museum and Heritage awards and received a long list nomination for this year's Art Fund Prize, also features changing displays of objects, photographs and footage, as well as online blogs sent by soldiers straight from the front line.
Helmand: The Soldiers' Story closes on 31 December 2008.
See the National Army Museum website for more details.
