Award for Telling the Stories of “1,000 Lost Voices”

An exhibition which tells the lost stories of thousands of people during the Second World War has won an award for its visitor experience.

The International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC) has been awarded a Discover Heritage Award from the Association for Heritage Interpretation (AHI) for their immersive exhibition galleries, winning the Visitor and Interpretation Centre category.

The IBBC, based in Lincoln, was given the award for bringing to life the experiences of those involved with Bomber Command during the war through state of the art technology. The centre features a space to experience this contentious period of modern history in a way that is non-judgemental so voices on both sides of the conflict are heard.

The exhibition, which was funded by the National Lottery, was curated in partnership with the University of Lincoln using the jointly created IBCC Digital Archive as its interpretative source. The archive includes previously unheard stories, such as the story of Vera Willis, a Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) veteran who was responsible for driving aircrew to their aircraft during the war and who lived with the horror of so many of them not returning.

Professor Heather Hughes from the University of Lincoln led the development of the digital archive and IBCC exhibition. She said: “There were thousands of lost voices from WWll on both sides of the conflict whose experiences of living through the aerial bombing campaigns have been brought to life through the IBCC exhibition, with help from a specially curated digital archive.

“We have captured amazing personal accounts, photographs, diaries, letters and log books, many of which haven’t been seen before outside the families who own them. It is wonderful that such a valuable snapshot of our history has been recognised with this prestigious award, and we were delighted that our sensitive handling of such difficult heritage was specifically noted as a reason for our success.”

The awards event saw representatives from heritage projects across the UK and was hosted by TV personality, Loyd Grossman CBE, a heritage enthusiast and supporter of the AHI.

Nicky van der Drift, CEO said: “We are delighted to have been given this prestigious award, particularly as it was judged by our industry peers. It is wonderful to be able to bring this award to Lincolnshire, for the first time.”

The Association for Heritage Interpretation is a key forum for anyone interested in interpretation – the art of helping people explore and appreciate the world. It aims to promote excellence in the practice and provision of interpretation and to gain wider recognition of interpretation as a professional activity.

The biennial awards showcase best practice in heritage interpretation across the UK and Ireland. They are the only awards to recognise excellence in all types and sizes of heritage interpretation – whether in museums, historic buildings, visitor centres or any type of outdoor location.