02 Feb 2026
A new exhibition looking at Harpenden’s role during the Great War opens in the town’s museum this week for a three-month run.
Harpenden was a vital training ground for thousands of troops during the conflict, with more than 4,ooo soldiers from the Sherwood Forresters billeted locally from August 1914.
Harpenden Common saw cows strolling past machine guns and searchlights, and as the country strived to become self-sufficient in food production, Land Army girls worked alongside Scouts and Guides to plant and harvest crops.
Meanwhile, many of Harpenden’s young men joined the armed forces and went off to fight in the Great War, around 180 of whom did not return. Set against a 1911 population of around 6,170, this represents just under three per cent of the town’s population, and if Harpenden followed the national pattern, implies around 1,500 local men served.
That would amount to around half of Harpenden’s total male population, being more than four-fifths of men of military age. The town – like much of Britain – had effectively become a “nation in arms”, with service touching almost every family.
Curator Pamela Doran said: “The Museum preserves and shares the stories of our town. Bringing Harpenden’s heritage to life, 2,500 visited the Museum in 2025. As one visitor had noted, visiting the Museum deepened my understanding and appreciation of where we live.”
The Museum, on the lower floor of the Eric Morecambe Centre in Rothamsted Park, is ordinarily open 11am-3pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. A smaller display on WWI is also available during February only in the Foyer 10am-2pm on Mondays to Saturdays.
