How the British Museum survived the threat of Nazi bombers
As war was declared in September 1939, museum staff were already deep into a massive evacuation. This video explores the incredible efforts of the team who protected the collection using little more than buckets of sand and golf clubs.
Following the ultimatum to Germany, the UK formally entered the Second World War on 3 September 1939, shortly after 11:00 am. By this time, the British Museum had been in active evacuation mode since 24 August. In just eight days, the staff managed to move over 150 tonnes of material out of the galleries.
The challenge for curators during such conflicts is two-fold: avoiding the immediate destruction of bombing and managing the gradual deterioration caused by long-term storage. Beyond the physical evacuation, the history of the museum during this era includes even more clandestine efforts, such as staff working as codebreakers at Bletchley Park.
Source: Evacuating The British Museum in the Second World War | Nick's Display Case @preservethings
