Stunning dress once worn by remarkable Shrewsbury Major to go on display at Soldiers of Shropshire Museum
A haute couture army dress once worn by a Shrewsbury servicewoman will go on display after the Soldiers of Shropshire Museum received grant funding.
The dress, which belonged to Major Joan Crooke, will be the museum's first display of a female service dress.
The museum, based at Shrewsbury Castle, is among a select number of successful applicants to the Association of Independent Museums’ ‘Museum Fundamentals Grant’, supported by the Pilgrim Trust and the Julia Rausing Trust.
The dress and purse were donated to the museum last year, as part of a collection of items linked to Major Crooke's long and distinguished career in the Women’s Royal Army Corps (WRAC), which spanned from the Second World War to the 1980s.
Dr Robert MacKinnon, from the museum, explained that the eye-catching dress was "one of the first examples of the WRAC’s ‘new look’ Mess uniform, designed in 1962 by Owen Hyde Clark of the House of Worth".
He said: "It oozes femininity through the Empire silhouette and the use of a long green sash. WRAC officers were expected by the army authorities to embody particular ideals of femininity during army social events."
Major Crooke's accompanying purse contains a comb, mirror and a small plastic black cat for luck - personal items closely tied to the social occasions at which she wore the rayon dress.
From the outset, the museum hoped to place the dress and purse on display, with the dress providing a striking focal point for telling Major Crooke's personal story, supported by existing archival material.
However, conservation work was deemed essential by the museum’s director Richard Gough before public display could be considered.
Dr MacKinnon said: "The front of the dress has food staining and the sides are sharply creased, giving a flattened rather than rounded shape. The back appears pleated, but this effect, like the side creasing, developed due to long-term storage conditions."
Michelle Harper, an accredited conservator with the Institute of Conservation who specialises in textiles, assessed the dress and purse ahead of the museum’s successful funding application.
With funding secured, conservation work will be undertaken by Michelle.
Dr MacKinnon said: "If testing shows that solvents cannot be used to remove or reduce the food staining on the dress, Michelle has proposed an alternative treatment of net overlays to visually soften the discolouration.
"The creasing is more straightforward and will be treated by humidification. Moisture causes the fibres to swell and relax, making the fabric more flexible and restoring its original shape."
Museum director Richard Gough summed up the significance of the dress being added to the exhibits.
He said: "Representing servicewomen in military museums has been difficult because their service is a recent part of our history and these amazing items of uniform just don’t appear very often.
"I feel especially lucky that we not only have this Mess dress, but we have the opportunity, through the grant award, to show it in its full beauty. It represents a massive step towards ensuring our collections reflect a more modern army as well as attracting a broader audience to the museum. Thanks to our team and to the Association of Independent Museums for making this possible."
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