SOFO exhibition

Round & About

WWII

Photo: Laurie Weeden Glider Pilot Regiment

Honouring and remembering at new Second World War exhibition at Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum

As Remembrance nears, there’s a very timely new exhibition of photographic portraits on display at the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum, Woodstock.

The exhibition, titled 3945 Portraits, is the work of award-winning photographer Glyn Dewis and features portraits of Second World War veterans.

Glyn is leading an ongoing project to photograph Second World War veterans from all branches of the armed forces, and from a wide range of different regiments and corps, including the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry.

The portraits are on display until 5th January alongside recorded interviews with the featured veterans, recounting their wartime experiences, as well as a number of drawings produced by children as a ‘thank you’ to them.

The project, and the exhibition itself, is designed to “remember, honour and educate”. Glyn said he intends to “honour and remember our surviving World War Two veterans by photographing as many of them as possible in order to provide both them and their families with classic, timeless portraits they treasure and can remain in their families for generations to come” and “to sensitively educate the current and future younger generations about the events of World War Two and of those who served, survived and were lost”.

The exhibition opened on Saturday, 19th October with a number of the featured veterans present, and a surprise medal presentation for one of them. Two members of the Glider Pilot Regiment who were good friends during their service but had not seen each other since the end of the war, were also reunited during the launch, having both had their portraits taken by Glyn.

Glyn will also be running two 3945 Portraits project workshops on the 9th November and 7th December between 11am and 2pm. These will demonstrate how the portraits were taken using minimal kit and often in very limited space, showing how we can all create classic portraits without the need for all the latest and greatest equipment. Spaces can be booked on the SOFO Museum website.

The Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum is open from Tuesday-Friday 10am-5pm, Saturday 11am-5pm and Sunday 2pm-5pm. The county’s only military history museum is located in the grounds of the Oxfordshire Museum, Park Street, Woodstock.

For information

To find out about visiting the museum head to SOFO and for details about the portraits project, click below

Coleshill Underground

Round & About

WWII

Pic credit: National Trust

Secret Second World War history revealed at Coleshill Underground 

The National trust village of Coleshill is celebrating its secret Second World War history with a living history event honouring the Auxiliaries. 

Coleshill Underground is returning to West Oxfordshire on Sunday, 22nd September with re-enactments, exhibitions, a display of military vehicles, food, drink and dancing as well as children’s activities. 

Unknown to villagers, Coleshill was the top secret training headquarters for the British Resistance, also known as the Auxiliary Unit in which brave men volunteered to act as a secret resistance force against invasion by Germany. They were trained in units of six in isolation from other groups and in unusual methods. 

The living history area will tell the story of the brave auxiliaries through re-enactors, exhibitions and interactive displays. The Second World War historic sites around Coleshill will be open to explore including the operational bases and guard house. 

Trace your own historical connections with the help of the Coleshill Auxiliary research team while younger members of the family have a go at an activity trail around the village learn about code breaking, the skills needed to be a spy and have a go at crawling under camouflage nets. 

Coleshill Underground is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Auxiliaries being stood down from service. 

Tickets can be booked in advance via the website. 

Find out more

For more information and to book visit