Voices from the Deep at The Postal Museum

The Postal Museum, Freeling House, Phoenix Place, London
Voices from the Deep at The Postal Museum image
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Event has ended
This event ended on Sunday 13th of January 2019
Admission
£9 - £17.05
Venue Information
The Postal Museum
15 - 20 Phoenix Place, WC1X 0DL
Nearest Tube/Rail Stations
Chancery Lane 0.45 miles

Sunken, forgotten, and then saved from the depths of the ocean: The Postal Museum’s new temporary exhibition ‘Voices from the Deep’ is set to display a selection of more than 700 personal letters that have been trapped at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean for more than three quarters of a century, miraculously preserved in an airlock that formed as steam boat, the SS Gairsoppa, sank.

Torpedoed off the coast of Ireland by a German U-Boat 77 years ago this month (on 16 February 1941), the ship has lain undisturbed – resting a mile deeper than the Titanic – ever since. Now, visitors to the museum can see items from the ship’s recently recovered cargo on display for the first time, including 12 bundles of letters, written 77 years ago but never delivered, and a silver ingot that was making its way from colonial India to the UK to help with the war effort.

From soldiers writing to loved ones, to businessmen and missionaries, the letters offer a unique insight into the lives of ordinary people, living in extraordinary circumstances during WW2. They bring to light the central role that the postal service played in British society at that time.

Mimicking the rescue mission’s search lights piercing through the ocean gloom, guests will use UV torch lights to reveal snippets of fragmented letters, as well as enjoying original footage of the recovery of SS Gairsoppa by the Odyssey Maritime Exploration, and writing a postcard to their future self.

Tags: Exhibition

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