Donating objects to the Heugh Battery Museum
We are delighted to be offered items from family collections. We know how important these objects are and that donating them to a museum is a major step. However the Heugh Battery Museum is a small museum with very limited space. We have a strict collection policy and ask potential donors to the museum to think how their object fits with our collections policy before offering them.
The Heugh Battery Museum Collections Development Policy states “The themes and priorities for future collecting will reflect the wartime experiences and resilience of the civilian population of the Hartlepools during both the First and Second world Wars”.
We will accept:
- WWI artefacts
- WWII artefacts
- Objects specifically to do with Hartlepool 1914-18 or 1939 – 45
- objects relating to the Heugh Gun Battery
We cannot accept
- Military items from 1945 onwards
- Objects that are unsafe
- Items that duplicate what we already have in our collection
- Items in poor condition
- Items we do not have appropriate space or conditions to house
- Objects that do not belong to the donor
- Objects on loan
We do not give valuations on objects.
Making a donation
If you do have an object that fits with the criteria above, your first step should be to contact the museum by telephone (01429 270 746) or email info@heughbattery.co.uk . We can then check with you how your object fits with our collection and can give you an initial decision as to whether we are likely to accept it.
You should then make and appointment with the museum manager to arrange to bring the object to the museum.
When bringing the object to the museum, the object will be examined to determine its condition and you will be asked to complete some paperwork to transfer ownership to the museum. We do not take items on loan.
The museum then has 4 weeks to decide if the object will be accepted into the collection. You will be asked if we decide not to keep the object, if you would like to have it returned to you or if you would like us to dispose of it.
Please do not be offended if we do not accept your donation. We are grateful for all offers but do not have the space to accept every object.
It cannot be guaranteed that your object will go on display at the museum, but it will be accessible to researchers even if it is kept in our stores.
What you can see at the museum
The Armoury houses the Heugh Battery Museum’s collection of de-activated weapons, items of uniform and other artefacts.
The Armoury is only opened for visitors by volunteers or museum staff so that visitors are able to ask questions about the exhibits and handle some of the objects in the room. If you are visiting and find that the door to the armoury is locked, please ask at reception and a volunteer or staff member will come and open it up for you.
There are lots of interesting items to see and touch in the armoury, and lots of great stories behind how the uniforms developed, what battles the guns were used in, and stories about individual acts of heroism by soldiers using weapons such as the ones we have on display.
Uniforms
During your visit, you will see items of uniform such as:
British Service Dress Cap
- Brought into service in 1905
- Colour: brown serge
- The rigid peak was often removed for comfort
British Helmet
- Mark 1 ‘Brodie’ Helmet
- Designed by John Brodie and issued in November 1915
- Designed to protect the head and shoulders against shrapnel and air bursting shells
- The helmet helped in reducing head wounds by 80%.
- By the end of the war, over 4.7 million had been produced
British Service Dress Tunic
- Bought into service in 1902
- Colour: brown serge
- Very simple and practical design, which did not change until 1937
British Puttees
- Brought into service late 19th century.
- Puttee is a long narrow piece of cloth which would be wound tightly around the soldier’s leg to support the leg and to keep mud and water out of the boots
British Boots
- B5 Ammunition boots which were hobnailed
- Made from reversed cowhide and had steel plates on the toes and heel
German Pickelhaube
- Originally brought into service in 1842 – our model is the 1895 issue
- Made of leather, would offer very little protection
German Stahlhelm helmet
- Designed by Dr Friedrich Schwerd in November 1915, but not issued until January 1916
- ‘Stahlhelm’ – steel helmet
- Heavier and more expensive than the British helmet it offered more protection to the face, head and neck
Weapons
In the Armoury, you will see a range of weapons, including:
Vickers Machine Gun
- The initial year of service: 1912
- Weight: Gun – 18.14 kg Tripod – 22 kg Total 40.14 kg
- Loading – Belt fed (250 round cloth belt)
- The rate of fire – 450-500 rpm
- The Vickers Machine Gun stayed in service with the British Army until 1968
British Short Magazine Lee Enfield
- The initial year of service: 1907
- Length – 1.32 metres (44.56 inches)
- Weight – 3.96kg
- Loading – 2 x 5 round stripper clips loaded into the breach
- The rate of fire – 20-30 rpm
British Short Magazine Lee Enfield Bayonet
- The initial year of service: 1907
- Length – 21.75 inches (blade 17 inches)
German Karabiner 98a
- The initial year of service: 1898
- Length – 37 inches
- Weight – 3.50kg
- Loading – 5 round stripper clip loaded into the breach
- The rate of fire – 12 rpm
Russian Mosin-Nagant Rifle
- The initial year of service: 1891, our model is the 1938 carbine
- Length – 48.58 inches
- Weight – 3.8kg
- Loading – 5 rounds
- The rate of fire – 10 rpm
American M1917 ‘American Enfield’
- The initial year of service: 1917
- Length – 46.26 inches
- Weight – 4.08kg
- Loading – 5 rounds
British Mills Bomb
- The initial year of service: 1915
- Weight – 0.68kg
- Length – 95.2mm
- Diameter – 2.4inches
- Fragmentation grenade with a blast radius of 91 metres
British STEN Submachinegun
- The initial year of service: 1941 (on display is model STEN Mk 3 – 1943)
- Weight – 3.18kg
- Length – 30 inches
- Loading – 32 round magazine
- The rate of fire – 550 rpm
British BREN Light Machinegun
- The initial year of service: 1937 (on display is model MK 2 – 1941)
- Weight – 11.25kg
- Length – 45.51 inches
- Loading – 30 round ‘banana box’ magazine
- The rate of fire – 500 rpm
Romanian AKM 74
- The initial year of service: 1959
- Weight – 3.6kg
- Length – 34.25 inches
- Loading – 30 round curved magazine
- The rate of fire – 600rpm
Austrian Steyr-Mannlicher AUG (Armee Universal Gewehr)
- The initial year of service – 1978 (on display is Model AUG A1 – 1982)
- Weight – 3.85kg
- Length – 31.1 inches
- Loading – Load plastic magazine of 30 rounds
