Bermuda Maritime Museum curator Charlotte Andrews answers questions about their new exhibit, Bermuda’s Defence Heritage, located on the lower floor of the Commissioner’s House at the Bermuda Maritime Museum at Dockyard.

What prompted the creation of your new exhibit Bermuda|0xb9|s Defence Heritage?

After producing new exhibits for most rooms on the elegant upper floors of the Commissioner’s House we set our sights on the very atmospheric ground floor, once used for storage and prison cells by the Royal Navy. We have long wanted to present the history and archaeology of the Island’s many remarkable forts, which the Museum has carefully researched and conducted archaeological digs on for many years. This concept allows us to show off our impressive artillery collections and is fitting considering the museum is located inside Bermuda’s largest fort, the Keep. We soon realised that the story of the local forces and war veterans was the natural progression for a display on local defence heritage and that a tribute to these Bermudians could not be more warranted or timely. Beyond the display itself, our exhibits give us opportunity to work with the community to collect focused information, images, and artefacts for the permanent collections.”

How long was it in the planning? How many people were involved? <$>We have been working on this for several years but it has really come together recently thanks to our dedicated staff, interns, and volunteers as well as the many exhibit contributors. We are grateful to the many people who have already responded to our appeals for information and artefacts and we continue to encourage the public to make contact with us. In addition to working with the community, I’m discovering that the key to success in any sort of production is to seek out the help of people with specific knowledge and expertise. We were very fortunate to have several co-curators who included Dr. Edward Harris, Jennifer Hind, Thomas Aitchison, Gavin Shorto, Horst Augustinovic, Dr. Tom James, and Sean Paul Talbot, all of whom volunteered their expertise and research to the ambitious project.

Are you pleased with the outcome? Why? We are very pleased with the exhibition, especially the local forces and war veterans tributes. More than anything we hope this display helps to build an appreciation for the great sacrifices made by the men and women who willingly served local and global causes. They deserve to be remembered and the exhibit also gives us a platform to continue our research and collecting.

What are the top five questions that tourists ask of you or your staff?

How many Bermudians were killed while on active service during the two worlds wars? ‘114 Men and 1 woman’. “How long has it taken to restore Commissioner’s House and how much has it cost? ‘About 20 years at a cost of $8 million, all raised by the museum itself through private donations and a grant from the present Government’.

“When was the House built and by whom? ‘Commissioner’s House was built in the 1820s by the Royal Navy using some local labour, but mostly convicts brought here from England’.

“How big is the Keep? ‘Six-acres’.” What are the sheep for? ‘They keep the grass trim all year, saving us lots of money on landscaping since we don’t pay them very much!’”

Do you have any recommendations on how we could improve Bermuda’s tourism?

While there is good work being done by different groups I believe we all must make a better commitment to preserving and managing our precious cultural assets. This Island’s history and heritage is perhaps our most unique and enticing feature and is worth investment and long term thought. But the heritage institutions here cannot do it alone. I feel strongly that Bermudians must support their own cultural institutions by visiting at least once a year, or becoming a member, volunteering, or even donating collections. Without this local support we cannot provide what the visitor demands.”