ABSTRACT
In the collections of UK military museums, memories of peacetime service have often been neglected in favour of active operations, but the British Forces Germany (BFG) experience in Cold War West Germany is one of a space between peace and war. It is no less relevant for this, but much harder to locate beyond established methodologies of Cold War museum displays. In the absence of direct conflict, what other – often non-military – objects could represent this significant period of the British military’s history in the collections of military museums? And how could they be crafted into a meaningful narrative for exhibition spaces? BFG experiences were not monolithic, but variable; they were based on a host of different factors. Uncovering these leads to the identification of salient themes but also opens new narratives that have been previously excluded from the BFG story. The use of oral-history testimony and co-creation techniques have identified experiences and objects that resonate with experience; they are capable of evoking a unique time, place and experience for those who encounter them. New, targeted oral-history collection and participatory practice can breathe new life and meaning into objects already in museum collections, as well as identify gaps to be filled through proactive collecting. This chapter not only comments on previous successful approaches in UK museum displays, and the social and cultural history of the British Forces in Germany as told through veterans’ voices, but also reveals modern museological practices in curation and storytelling.
