On 9 November 2019, the Daily Express devoted a double-page spread to the first-ever exhibition of the War Widows’ Quilt at the Queen’s House, Greenwich. Giles Sheldrick, Chief Reporter, interviewed women who contributed to the quilt, representatives of our partner organisation The War Widows’ Association of Great Britain, lead artist Lois Blackburn, and me as War Widows’ Stories project leader. Awful headline pun aside, it is worth noting that the quilt is actually not primarily intended as a “tribute” to fallen heroes, but as a tribute to and representation of the stories of the women and families they have left behind. Indeed, the quilt and the stories it tells often question the “heroes” narrative that pervades media and other public versions of the history of war and armed conflict.
