On Tuesday, September 10th 2024, the ‘KFOR and Kosovo +25’ exhibition section featuring 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards was opened at the Firing Line Museum in Cardiff Castle by Brigadier Alan Richmond, Regimental Colonel of 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards, at lectern below. Seated from right to left, the other opening speakers were Cllr Huw Thomas – Leader of Cardiff City Council, High Sheriff of South Glamorgan – Mrs Janey Howell, Ms Kate McColgan – Chair, Interfaith Council for Wales. Lt Col John Smith, Mr Anthony Metcalfe – Head of Community Engagement for Royal British Legion Wales. Also in attendance were representatives for the Race Council Cymru, Priscilla Addey-Blankson and Margaret Ojeniyi.
Brigadier Alan Richmond said:
“This evocative exhibition brings to life events in Kosovo 25 years ago. It shows the complexity of a situation in which our soldiers found themselves. With the collapse of nearly all essential services, sectarian violence and extreme intolerance, the British Army worked tirelessly alongside KFOR partners and the UN to establish a secure environment, restore essential services, bring hope and, most pressingly, provide shelter to all families who had lost their homes before the onset of a very bitter Balkan winter. I am proud to have been there alongside fellow Welsh Cavalrymen and welcome this opportunity to reflect on one of the most fulfilling episodes in my long Army career.”
The Leader of Cardiff Council, Cllr Huw Thomas said:
“Cardiff is proud to be a part of hosting this important exhibition as it is presented across the UK and in Kosovo. It is an historical document of incredible significance, ensuring that the KFOR intervention of a quarter of a century ago remains in our national memory. The events that took place in Kosovo 25 years ago are a powerful reminder of the terrifying consequences of communities becoming fractured and divided. I wish to thank all those involved in presenting this exhibition and for bringing it to Cardiff Castle. I hope that it can serve as a powerful reminder of how vital it is that our communities remain united in a shared spirit of mutual respect.”
High Sheriff of South Glamorgan, Mrs Janey Howell, followed with a speech also highlighting the value of this exhibition in Wales. She is pictured here with one of the 1QDG soldiers present at the event and below with Lt Col Patrick Andrews, another special guest, who assisted with arrangements at the time of the photodocumentary and present at the exhibition’s very first staging in Liverpool’s St George’s Hall in 2001.
Anthony Metcalfe, Head of Community Engagement for The Royal British Legion spoke of the exhibition’s importance in the context of veterans, providing another opportunity to present their experiences, reach a general public of all ages and backgrounds and what it can achieve today. RBL Wales had provided initial funding for the exhibition following which Heritage Lottery Fund support was secured ensuring the full project, including the follow-on Story Circle project with schools in Cardiff, could take shape. He said:
“It’s with great privilege that the RBL has supported the KFOR and Kosovo at 25 years photo exhibition at the Firing Line Museum in Cardiff focusing on the experiences of 1st Queens Dragon Guards and their dedication to the reconstruction and peace keeping operations. Back in June of 2024 saw the significant milestone of the 25th anniversary of the end of the war in Kosovo and the deployment of the NATO peace-support force, KFOR. For a quarter of a century, British forces have been dedicated to supporting peace and stability in Kosovo. The RBL marked that unwavering service with a special event at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire on 23 June. This touring photo exhibition ensures that the contributions and experiences of our armed forces community remains forefront in peoples minds, that veterans can share experiences and educate others on what the deployments achieved in bringing peace and stability to the modern nation on Kosovo over 25 years ago.”
Kate McColgan, Chair – Interfaith Council for Wales, spoke of the exhibition highlighting peacekeeping, its important role in the current time in a world with many conflicts and in the context of refugees and displaced peoples. In describing just a few of these, particularly those where there is a religious component, it brought home to everyone present how unstable the world is at present and the need for everyone to care.
Lt Col John Smith, left, is one of several veterans of 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards who are featured in the images and have been tracked down by the regiment to add their stories now 25 years later to this exhibition. He spoke of his role at the time and what he was doing in the images, particularly his role in the rebuilding of Burice School. Kosovo are now working on locating children from one of the images in which he is featured. John helped to bring the exhibition vividly ‘to life’.
Sitakumari, Director of Heartstone said:
“This is a powerful exhibition presenting the human story of what happened in Kosovo 25 years ago and the interaction with the soldiers of KFOR. It is a record of a period of relatively recent history but it also holds many messages for us today, in particular the need for all communities to come together to challenge hate and intolerance, whatever form it takes and wherever it arises.”
This exhibition presented images from the section focussed on 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards, The Welsh Cavalry, another of the regiments Nick Sidle was embedded with in 2000-1 for his Kosovo photodocumentary. This was the first staging in Wales with the other stagings being in England at the Tower of London Fusilier Museum in January and further exhibitions at the National Museum of Kosovo in Pristina and the National Memorial Arboretum.
Heartstone is working in partnership with the Firing Line Museum, 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards and Cardiff City Council on the staging of this exhibition, which has been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund Wales and the Royal British Legion Wales.
Additional partners include UNA-UK, Interfaith Scotland and their counterpart organisation in other parts of the country including in Wales, the Interfaith Council for Wales and the Race Council Cymru.
A Story Circle project working with 15 school class groups across Cardiff will be underway from January 2025 to culminate in the summer. Each group will be receiving images from the ‘KFOR and Kosovo +25’ exhibition together with story narrative and inviting veterans of Kosovo to their respective locations to talk about what they did. These projects will each be constructing their own new exhibitions incorporating new narratives connected to all those they will be meeting.
Acknowledgements
We are particularly grateful for the funding and support of the Heritage Lottery Fund Wales and the Royal British Legion Wales towards the exhibition and project and the Firing Line Museum for their assistance with the staging of the exhibition. We are also grateful for the support of Lord Michael Hintze, Babcock International, BAE Systems, Thales, GE Aerospace, Aspire Defence Ltd and Supacat all of whom have supported the development costs for the exhibition.
