A rare collection box in the form of a First World War nurse has been given to Somerset’s Museum Service.
The collection box was originally used at the former Taunton and Somerset Hospital in East Reach, Taunton, and in more recent years has been cared for by the League of Friends of Musgrove Park Hospital.
“We’ve always been proud of our very special collection box,” said Peter Renshaw, Chairman of the League of Friends. “But we realise it’s a fragile object and also very rare, so we want to make sure it survives into the future. The museum collections are the safest place for it.”
Tom Mayberry, Chief Executive of the South West Heritage Trust, which cares for the collections, said: “We’re very pleased that this vivid reminder of the conflict has been saved for the county. The story of nursing in the First World War was a heroic one and has remained relatively untold. We hope that the collection box can be included in an exhibition next year about Somerset’s home front experience during the war.”
