Press Office
New exhibition celebrates Territorial centenary
The National Railway Museum (NRM) is celebrating a century since the Territorial Army (TA) was formed with the opening of a new exhibition.
The TA100 exhibition is set to officially open this weekend, a week before a ceremony on June 14, the Queen’s official birthday, marks the centenary of the organisation, which is made up of ordinary men and women who give up their free time to train as soldiers.
Colourful storyboards tell the tale of the 1908 formation of the organisation and profile some of today’s part-time soldiers, many of which are employees of rail engineering companies.
The new exhibition, situated in the museum’s Station Hall until August, focuses on the origins of the TA’s railway units which it has maintained since its birth 100 years ago. Today, the TA still maintains the 275 Railway Troop which operates railways, and 507 Specialist Team Royal Engineers which designs and builds railway infrastructure.
On 14 June a special locomotive naming ceremony at the NRM will celebrate the centenary and pay homage to the TA’s rail links.
When the TA was formed in 1908 it included three railway units. The new units ran the supply trains the army needed and kept the rail network repaired. The experiences of the First World War led to a further nine units being formed. They became specialised in railway construction, operation, signalling and locomotive repair.
The new TA units were based at major railway centres like Crewe and Doncaster and some were named after the rail companies for which they were recruited.
Stephen Richards, Head of Creative Development at the NRM, said:
“Railways play a vital role in the Territorial Army and this new exhibition looking back at the organisations’ rich history will mark this month’s centenary celebrations in style.”
Penny Veale, Army Spokesman for Yorkshire and the North East, added:
”The upcoming naming ceremony is the ideal way of marking 100 years of the TA especially with the opening of this new exhibition at the NRM. Alongside improvements in road and air supply chains, experience in Iraq and the Balkans has shown that railways still play a vital role in modern conflict.”
6 June 2008