The Dorman Museum

Falklands 30

3rd April - 15th July 2012
 

The Falklands War began on Friday 2 April 1982, when Argentine forces invaded and occupied the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. On 5th April, a large British task force set out on the 7500 mile journey to liberate the tiny group of windswept islands in the South Atlantic.
 

On 1st May began the biggest naval action to take place since the Second World War. The mission of the Task Force was to engage the Argentine Navy and Air Force, and retake the islands by amphibious assault. The resulting conflict lasted 74 days and ended with the Argentine surrender on 14 June 1982, which returned the islands to British control. 649 Argentine military personnel, 255 British military personnel and three Falkland Islanders died during the conflict.
 

Included in the exhibition are images from the collectionof the Imperial War Museum and the mast head light from the ill-fated RFA Sir Galahad, famous for being the involved in an attack which accounted for nearly a fifth of all British losses during the conflict.
 

Through dramatic images on display and using objects brought back from the Falklands from Middlesbrough veteran, RM Graham Fletcher, the exhibition gives an intimate portrayal of the personal side of the conflict and is a tribute, 30 years on, to the members of the British Forces who fought in the Falklands War.

The Apollo Male Voice Choir : The Teesside Apollo Male Voice Choir Celebrates its 125th Anniversary in 2012

2nd March – 20th May 2012

In 2012 the the Teesside Apollo Male Voice Choir, one of the oldest and most internationally known male voice choirs in England, commemorates 125 years since it was founded in 1887 by a group of Welsh steelworkers in Middlesbrough. When one of their friends was killed in a tragic accident at the steelworks they decided to sing at a benefit concert to raise money for his family. As a result of the success of this event, and the impromptu concerts which followed, they decided to stay together as an official male voice choir. They took the name "Apollo" and the choir has been singing continually from that day to this.
 

This exhibition aims to celebrate the choir's national and international success through items from the Teesside Apollo Male Voice Choir archive, which is now held by the Dorman Museum. These include certificates and awards from the many competitions in which the choir has taken part, concert programmes, records and momentoes from their many well received tours abroad.