ABSTRACT
The audience for museums in wartime was affected in some particular areas by temporary increases in population numbers, because of service personnel being billeted or wartime production being developed there. This change in local population numbers had distorting effect on wartime visitor numbers in regional museums when compared with peacetime audiences. Wartime museum visitor figures for individual museums, where they were recorded, show consistently increased attendances, but these increases must be considered alongside a range of factors and circumstances created by wartime conditions. The input of different community groups in wartime added new dimensions to museum presentation, creating a demand for representative exhibitions and encouraging a greater range of visitors. Audiences had variety of reasons for visiting museums and for taking a greater interest in arts. Relocated people such as displaced troops, factory workers, overseas troops and refugees looked for occupation during their limited leisure time and were interested in finding out about the area where they were temporarily resident.
