Summary
West Sussex Record Office (WSRO) preserves the ‘Shoreham Community Archive’ of memorial items following the fatal crash at the 2015 Shoreham Airshow.
Background
After a crash at the Shoreham Airshow on 22nd August 2015 in which eleven people were fatally injured, the Shoreham Emergency Response Group was set up by West Sussex County Council. This Group oversaw daily activities during the immediate aftermath of the crash, and asked WSRO to assist. A group of local people had been working to remove and save the memorial items left at the site following ongoing heavy rain.
Challenge
The team at WSRO were asked to enable the ‘living memorial’ of messages, photographs and cards left on the Shoreham Tollbridge to be preserved for those most closely affected by the incident, and for the wider community.
They needed to be able to react immediately, to navigate an unprecedented situation and a range of relationships with those affected over the first year following the incident.
Approach
Being led by the immediate conservation needs of the material and primarily by the wishes of those most closely related to the victims, the team committed to have the material preserved and available for the first anniversary. Their collections, conservation and digitisation staff and some of their volunteers all worked closely together on the archive. They also remained in contact with Family Liaison Officers, other Council departments and services during this time.
During the first year after the incident the team hosted private visits by several bereaved families to enable them to see what they were doing and to spend time with the memorial if they chose. They held two press and media days, one soon after receiving the material and another one year later. Staff also attended the memorial service in November 2015, providing information about the living memorial in a low-key way. Colleagues in County Libraries collected local newspaper coverage of the crash and its aftermath and transferred it to WSRO, and one local newspaper donated copies of their relevant editions throughout the year.
Intended aims
The team wanted to ensure that they respected and took account of the sensitivities of those impacted by the disaster, whilst preserving a collection which reflected the community response in the immediate aftermath of the incident. By taking in the Shoreham Community Archive they aimed to complement the official narrative in the public records, as well as other archives eventually to be transferred to WSRO including by the Coroner, emergency services and their parent body, West Sussex County Council.
The team needed to ensure items were physically stable and had the best chance of surviving into the future. They also wanted to create catalogue records/metadata enabling items to be accessed physically in the search room or via digital images linked to the online catalogue records. These images have since been uploaded into the WSRO digital preservation system.
Obstacles and issues
When items first arrived at WSRO three-to-four weeks after the incident, most were very wet and in poor condition. Initially their conservator focused on drying out and making the items stable. The team could then decide about their longer-term care and accessibility.
WSRO had initially been asked to assist in drying out and stabilising the items, but it was then agreed that WSRO should preserve and hold them in the long-term and provide a permanent home and future for the Shoreham Community Archive.
By consulting with the bereaved families through the Family Liaison Officers and in conjunction with staff the team developed parameters about which items should be made accessible and how this could be done. This included whether and which items should be made available online or in WSRO’s search room. It was agreed that original items, images and metadata relating to items in which deceased individuals or their close families were personally identifiable would not be put online. The complete archive was made available in the search room but restrictions were placed on making copies.
Actual outcomes and outputs
The team had committed to doing no harm and being transparent about their work. They had to balance compassionate care of those most closely impacted by the incident with their role in “collecting and preserving all kinds of records relating to the history, places and people of West Sussex”. Carefully considering the differing needs of the bereaved families, and the feelings within the wider community meant that WSRO could be seen as a trustworthy and reliable service and the appropriate permanent home of the Shoreham Community Archive. This was also the case internally within the County Council, where the team had been asked to advise on effective recordkeeping for the immediate response co-ordination.
WSRO holds an accessible collection of around 1,900 items including books of condolence, and individual messages. This includes over 3,900 digital images, of which 1,942 were made publicly accessible online through their catalogue, with many records having more than one image. All items have received conservation treatment and are housed in archival-quality packaging to ensure their longevity. The team gave bereaved people a copy of the digitised items if they wanted this.
Lessons learned
Above all the team needed to deal compassionately with those most closely impacted by the incident, and to recognise that each person had individual responses and wishes. They were guided by what they thought was right, by the people and by the items, but it would have been helpful to have been able to draw on the experience of others in similar situations and have access to a wider body of guidance.
They also needed to acknowledge and support individual responses as WSRO staff and volunteers to the incident, the physical items and the work they were undertaking. Being able to use their professional skills and experience in preserving and making the Shoreham Community Archive available meant they could do something to help in response to a terrible incident, although staff found this difficult at times.
The team had to maintain an awareness of related events, such as the memorial service, investigations and other proceedings including the inquest; some of these were very prolonged.
Next steps
The team feel it is really important to continue to share their experiences to support other archives and museums facing unexpected tragic events. They are doing this through the Spontaneous Memorials Network and events, through this guidance, and support to individuals facing similar challenges.
The team do not anticipate undertaking further collections management work on the Shoreham Community Archive. After a permanent sculpture memorial was installed in 2019, and all investigatory, criminal and inquest proceedings completed in 2023, they hope to respond appropriately to any future commemorations of the incident. The Shoreham Airshow no longer takes place.
Further information
View this presentation (PDF, 6.5MB) by Wendy Walker, County Archivist WSRO, to Spontaneous Memorials Network workshop, 2018