Beyond Burma: BSL Tour

Follow expert guide Edward Richards on a British Sign Language (BSL) tour of our forthcoming exhibition ‘Beyond Burma: Forgotten Armies’.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Burma campaign. Although often called the ‘Forgotten War’, the campaign was crucial to the overall Allied victory and saw some of the bitterest fighting of the entire conflict.

From the disastrous fall of Singapore in 1942 to the key battles of Imphal and Kohima, the campaign can be remembered as a hard-fought conflict that saw the Allies almost utterly defeated on many occasions. Yet it should also be remembered for the large numbers of Indian and African soldiers who fought in Burma and who would play a large part in the final Allied victory.

On this guided gallery tour, Edward Richards will show how the Burma campaign developed. Starting with the horrific retreat in 1942, he will show how the British and Indian Armies rebuilt themselves, ready to take the fight to the Japanese in intense jungle fighting that would eventually see victory achieved in August 1945. Edward will also shine a light onto the soldiers who served in the campaign and offer an insight into their service.

About the guide

Edward Richards has been delivering BSL tours in museums and galleries since 2002, including Tate Modern and the Design Museum.