A powerful new exhibition exploring how conflict has shaped the people and places of County Durham.
May 2026-January 2027
A Debt Beyond Words focuses on the experiences of those connected to the Durham Light Infantry (DLI), as well as examining the wider experience of war and its impact on families and communities back home.
With a focus on the experiences of ordinary people, the exhibition features a fascinating selection of objects, documents and photographs from The Story’s own collections and on loan from Ben Uri Gallery and Museum, Kirkleatham Museum and Beamish, The Living Museum of the North.
Among the items on display are a partially exploded German artillery shell collected by the 4th Battalion DLI after the submarine bombardment at Seaham Harbour on 11 July 1916; a wedding dress made from parachute silk and worn by RAF officer Mary Dawson on her marriage to fellow serviceman Arthur O’Neill in December 1943; and a deeply personal notebook kept by Alice Sharp, wife of Archibald Dobbie Sharp, 2nd Battalion DLI, recording news of his service from his enlistment in February 1917 to his death in September 1918.
Visitors can also view postcards, diaries, sketches, medals and personal items, including brooches, wallets and compacts, all with a story to tell.
