World War One exhibit wows visitors

By Amelia Tarallo
Hometown Weekly Special Correspondent

Patriotic political posters line the walls inside the Sawin Museum. Some ask American citizens to purchase bonds. Others encourage enlistment in the military. One poster notes: "Send the Eagle's Answer, More Ships," with one of the gigantic raptor birds looming over a battleship. These posters are just a few of the objects displayed in the Sawin Museum’s World War One exhibit.

The idea for the exhibit was inspired by Curator Stuart Swiny's own life. Growing up in England, Swiny saw the importance of Armistice Day. "Being a British National, November 11th is a big deal." In England, Armistice Day is filled with patriotic fervor. Seeing the celebrations each year made Swiny realize “how incredibly important the end of the war was."

The first display case in the exhibit contains two helmets: one from a German soldier and one from an American soldier. Next to each helmet is a gun that would have been used by each side during the war. Once he had the helmets, Swiny was quickly able to imagine what the rest of the exhibit would look like. With help from others, including Pamela Kunkemueller, Swiny assembled the exhibit.

The items in the exhibit consists of items from the Dover Historical Society, donated objects, artifacts from personal collections, and items on loan from the Needham Historical Society. Many of the objects, including a U.S. Navy uniform, sat in boxes for years until being displayed in the exhibit. "If you’ve got something, you may as well exhibit it," said Swiny.

Spanning the walls of the exhibit room is a meticulously sketched panorama depiction of the Battle of the Somme. The Battle of the Somme was the most deadly battle in the British history; historians estimate that over 420,000 British soldiers died during the four month long battle. Examining the sketch allows viewers to understand the brutality of the war.

The United States entered the war on April 6, 1917, three years after it began. Though American soldiers only experienced a year of the conflict, they suffered casualties, trench warfare, and psychological trauma.

"I wanted to do something to do something to commemorate the US entrance into war,” said Swiny.

Visitors will be to see the exhibit from 1:00 to 4:00 every Saturday through the end of November at the Sawin Museum.