Childhood memories from the Isle of Wight during the Second World War are being brought to life in a new exhibition.
VE Day 80: Unlocking Stories is an audio-visual exhibition curated from 20 oral history interviews with people who grew up on the Isle of Wight during the war, capturing daily life through the eyes of children living through a global conflict.
12 of those interviewed, aged between 83 and 98, attended the launch event on Wednesday, December 10, along with friends and family.
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Lisa Kerley, project manager at Carisbrooke Castle Museum, said: "We are absolutely delighted to be able to share the memories we have gathered from our interviewees with a wider audience through this exhibition.
"Oral history provides a unique perspective on the past and this testimony is helping us to tell the stories of many of the objects and photographs in our collection in new ways.
"These oral history interviews are now historic documents in their own right, archived at the museum for posterity.
"We hope to inspire and educate visitors to this exhibition which we have co-curated with the participants in this project who we are indebted to for their willingness to contribute and share their memories."
READ MORE: How the Island reacted as The Great War broke out
The exhibition, currently on display at Lord Louis Library in Newport until January 5, 2026, invites visitors to listen to personal accounts and view family photographs, including images from the Carisbrooke Castle Museum collection.
It will then tour libraries across the Island, including Freshwater (January 6–19), Ventnor (January 20–February 2), Sandown (February 3–16), Ryde (February 17–March 2), and Cowes (March 3–17).
In April 2026, the exhibition will become a permanent listening station at Carisbrooke Castle Museum as part of its Island Voices oral history collection, which was established in 2015 and now contains over 200 recordings from a number of projects.
The museum extended its thanks to project funders and partners, including Arts Council England, Wight Aid, the Association of Independent Museums, and Isle of Wight Council.
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