A forthcoming exhibition at Bury’s Fusilier Museum will showcase the remarkable wartime experiences of a Lancashire Fusilier whose vivid First World War diary was transformed into a book that has raised thousands of pounds for charity.

Six years after the publication of A Lancashire Fusilier’s First World War, author Patricia Rothwell is preparing a special exhibition dedicated to her grandfather, Captain Norman Hall, whose handwritten diaries provided a detailed account of life on the Western Front.

The exhibition will open on October 23, ahead of Remembrance Day and in time for the half-term holidays, celebrating both Hall's service and Bury's deep-rooted military heritage through its historic connection with the Lancashire Fusiliers.

Born in Bury in 1892 and educated at Bury Grammar School, Hall went on to study Chemistry at Manchester University before serving throughout the entirety of the First World War, eventually commanding a company in the Lancashire Fusiliers.

His wartime diaries formed the basis of Rothwell's book, first published in 2020. Since then, sales have raised around £2,500 for armed forces charity Combat Stress, while also generating funds for the Fusilier Museum through bookshop sales.

The new exhibition will feature two display cases telling Hall's story. One will contain a series of illustrated panels charting his wartime experiences, alongside extracts from his diaries describing service in the trenches, the Battle of the Somme and the realities of front-line life. The second display case will include a copy of the book,original letters, Hall's buttons and cap badge, and his Victory Medal.