A new exhibition opening this July at the Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon offers a unique glimpse into everyday life in North Devon during the Second World War, told through the words of the people who lived it.

North Devon's Home Front Writers, 1937–1945 opened on Saturday 25 July and runs until Saturday 17 October. The exhibition features original diaries, facsimiles, photographs and artefacts from the period.

Inspired by the 2025 publication of Devon's Home Front Diaries, 1937–1945 by Dr Todd Gray, the exhibition brings together the stories of ordinary people whose observations have become an extraordinary historical record. Dr Gray, an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Exeter and author of numerous books on Devon’s history, will be at the Museum for a free meet-the-author event on Saturday 1 August at 2.00pm.

Between 1937 and 1946, just over 100 men and women across Devon were recruited as volunteer writers for Mass Observation, a pioneering social research project that asked ordinary people to keep diaries and respond to regular questionnaires about their daily lives.

Thirteen of those contributors were based in North Devon, writing from Barnstaple, Bideford, Clovelly, Ilfracombe, Lynmouth, North Molton, South Molton, Westward Ho! and Woolacombe. While some were holidaymakers, most were residents documenting how their lives were shaped by the war.

Encouraged to write honestly and candidly, the diarists recorded everything from daily routines to their personal thoughts and opinions. What may have seemed ordinary at the time now provides a valuable insight into life on the Home Front, revealing the attitudes, concerns and experiences of people living through one of the most significant periods in British history.

The diaries and questionnaires were submitted to a central archive, now held at The Keep in Brighton. For many of the North Devon contributors, their involvement with the Mass Observation project remained unknown, even to members of their own families.

Alison Mills, Director of the Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon, said: "There is something captivating about reading diary entries, and even more so when they document the everyday lives of ordinary people in places with which we’re so familiar. The wide range of subjects that the writers chronicled remind us that these personal accounts reveal far more than the historical events of wartime alone. We hope as many people as possible will visit this fascinating exhibition, whether they live locally or are visiting North Devon.

Dr Todd Gray said: “Mass Observation allows us a glimpse into the thoughts and experiences of ordinary North Devonians during one of the most critical periods in British history. They wrote of struggling during the war with rations, black-out and evacuees. Some wrote of their intimate lives and others discussed empire, race and antisemitism. These writings give us, for the first time in British history, entry into ordinary lives. It has been an honour to introduce these accounts to Devon - after a gap of eight years and more.”

North Devon's Home Front Writers, 1937–1945 is open Monday to Saturday, from 10am to 4.30pm. Admission is free. For more details, visit barnstaplemuseum.org.uk.