Far East Prisoners of War Exhibition
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About this event
In the year that marks 80 years since the end of WW2 the Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Regiments’ Museum will open a new exhibition about the Far East Prisoners of War from 15 September. The exhibition can be found in their gallery at Moyse’s Hall Museum in Bury St Edmunds town centre.
The exhibition highlights items within the Museum’s collection which belonged to individual soldiers who spent the rest of World War Two in captivity following the Fall of Singapore on 15th February 1942.
The 4th and 5th Battalions of the Suffolk Regiment and the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the Cambridgeshire Regiment were all Far East Prisoners of War. They endured over three years of brutal captivity, including forced labour on the 258-mile Burma Railway (The Death Railway), with many dying from disease, starvation, or overwork. The losses suffered by all four battalions were heavy.
This exhibition seeks to tell their story.
The exhibition runs from 15th September 2025 to 12th April 2026.
Museum Opening Times
Monday to Saturday from 10am until 5pm and Sundays 12pm to 4pm – last entry an hour before closing time. Moyses Hall Museum, Cornhill, Bury St Edmunds IP33 1DX
Admission
Entry to the exhibition is through normal Museum entry ticket, click Book Tickets above to book online.
Prices
Adults £5
Senior Citizens £4.50
Child 5-16 and full-time students £3
Under 5s Free
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About the Venue
This beautiful medieval museum in the heart of Bury St Edmunds houses rich and eclectic collections and changing exhibitions, and hosts events ranging from themed craft workshops for all the family to historical talks and lectures.
Steeped in history, Moyse's Hall has looked out over Bury St Edmunds market place for almost 900 years.
The landmark 12th century building rich and varied past has included serving as the town Bridewell, workhouse and police station, first opening as a museum in 1899.
Today the museum offers a fascinating view into the past with collections that document the foundation of the early town - from the creation and dissolution of the Abbey of St Edmund to fascinating insights into local superstitions and witchcraft.
Winner of Suffolk's Family-Friendly Museum of the Year 2017, Horrible Histories creator Terry Deary has helped Moyse’s Hall Museum bring Bury St Edmunds’ gruesome history to life for children.
The Museum's Crime and Punishment Gallery not only features six Terrible Tales by Terry Deary, best-selling author and creator of the hugely popular Horrible Histories books, but also some grisly and gruesome interactive displays for children and adults. Step inside a gibbet cage (made for the museum by blacksmiths Kingdom Forge).
You can even trace the artefacts in The Red Barn Murder including the murder weapon and the disease box where visitors can smell a pus ridden hand is a museum favourite! The Battle of Fornham is told through the eyes of a blacksmith, a nun tending to the body of St Edmund tells of his grisly end. The stories of Mary Tudor, Queen of France (who is buried in St Mary’s Church, Bury St Edmunds), the Red Barn Murder, the Nichols Murder, witchcraft and Witchfinder General Matthew Hopkins, all feature. Every story links back to an artefact, bringing the museum’s stories to life.
Moyse's Hall Museum is also known as home to a world class collection of exquisite collections of clocks and timepieces including rare items bequeathed by musician and clock collector Frederic Greshom-Parkington and fine art by Sir Peter Lely, Angelica Kauffman, James Tissot, and England's first professional female painter Mary Beale. Fine art is displayed on rotation, call to check if studying a specific artist.
Assistance dogs only. Dogs are welcome in the reception for tourist information enquires and to access the gift shop.
