At the heart of Redbridge Museum is a unique collection of over 7000 objects, oral history and film. Once a week we will be selecting one object from Redbridge Museum’s collection to share with you online.
This week we revisit one of our artifacts on display in our temporary exhibition a History of Redbridge in Maps. This exhibition explores over 2,000 years of local history will sadly come to a close on 14 June 2014.
6 June 2014 is the 70th anniversary of D-Day when Allied Forces invaded Nazi-occupied Europe. This map was used in World War II by British forces.
During this time around 1 million escape maps were made on behalf of the British armed forces. These were issued to soldiers, seamen and airmen in case they found themselves behind enemy lines. They were particularly useful for airmen who could be shot down and then had to make their way to safety.
The maps were printed on lightweight silk, or rayon so they were easy to hide, waterproof, crease resistant and didn’t make a noise when opened , so wouldn’t give away their hiding position to the enemy.
This particular map shows part of India and Burma and was donated to the Museum by a local person in Hainault.
Title – Escape map for British forces during World War II
Associated Dates– 1939-1945
Location – On display- Redbridge Museum, Central Library 1st Floor
Opening times – Tuesday-Friday 10am-5pm & Saturday 10am-4pm
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