Hull is home to thousands of volunteers who help grow its fantastic cultural community projects. Today, we meet Chris Brigham of the volunteer-run Hull People’s Memorial military museum in Whitefriargate.
Hull People’s Memorial is both a tribute to the citizens killed in First and Second World War bombing raids on Hull, and a volunteer-run military museum and gift shop .
Husband and wife Alan and Chris Brigham have been involved since 2012.
Chris said: “We started raising funds for the memorial sculpture because everybody knows about the soldiers killed in wartime, but not about the civilians in Hull – it was the most bombed place per square metre in the Second World War, other than Malta.
“The devastation in Hull was famously never recorded, it was always referred to as ‘a north-east coast town’. So my husband Alan and Charles Dinsdale set out to create a monument – the globe-shaped sculpture in Paragon Street – and a museum to show people what had happened in Hull.
“People donated wartime memorabilia and Trinity House kindly lets us use shop premises in Whitefriargate. We now have First World War trenches and a dugout that our volunteers built and all kinds of militaria. Visitors of all ages can come and get an idea of the horrors their ancestors went through.
“Items are donated daily and we get enquiries from all over the world. One of the things we help people with is researching their First World War ancestors, as well as school visits and public speaking.
“We’re entirely run by volunteers and we’re especially in need of people with computing, accounts and database skills, so please get in touch if you can help out.”
Hull People’s Memorial museum and gift shop is at 8-9 Whitefriargate in the city centre. The People’s Memorial sculpture is in Paragon Street. Find more information here.
