Saint-Omer and the British Army, 1914-1918

9 January – 3 March 2017

Curated by Terence Hughes and Suzie Bridges

The General Headquarters (GHQ) of the British Expeditionary Force was based at Saint-Omer during World War One and as the HQ of the Royal Flying Corps the small Pas-de-Calais town became the centre of British air power in France. ‘Saint-Omer and the British Army, 1914-1918’ will demonstrate the impact of World War One on Saint-Omer during occupation. The exhibition, whose displays are in both French and English, will be loaned to the University of Kent University for display in the Templeman Gallery during January 2017. The displays to be shown in the exhibition seek to illustrate the huge scale of the British commitment in Flanders during the Great War.  In graphic style the exhibition’s photographs, posters, newspaper reports and private letters will reveal the way in which Saint-Omer’s citizens stoically experienced the Great War alongside the British Army.

Saint Omer market, 1918, Image: IWM

Saint-Omer market, 1918, Image: Imperial War Museum (c) IWM Q11074, catalogue reference Q11074