The RAF Museum has partnered with National Museums Liverpool to create a new RAF Memory Suitcase, using objects, photographs and archive material to spark memories and conversations with people living with dementia.

Dawn Carroll, Head of Programme at House of Memories, National Museums Liverpool (left) with Rhiannon Watkinson, Community Engagement Manager at the RAF Museum (middle).

Co-created with veterans at sessions at the RAF Museum Midlands, the new suitcase brings together specially selected items from the Museum’s handling collection and archive, chosen for their ability to prompt conversation, reminiscence and personal stories.

The RAF Memory Suitcase will be used as part of National Museums Liverpool’s award-winning House of Memories programme, which supports people living with dementia, their families, carers and communities through the power of museum collections.

Memory Suitcases are designed to support activities exploring identity, culture and memory. Filled with photographs, memorabilia and objects that can be handled and discussed, they provide accessible prompts to encourage people to share memories and experiences of days gone by.

The RAF Museum worked with veterans at its Midlands site to co-create the contents of the new suitcase, drawing on their experiences and perspectives to help identify objects and material that could generate meaningful conversations.

The new RAF suitcase also completes an Armed Forces trio within the Memory Suitcase programme, joining existing Army and Royal Navy suitcases.

Rhiannon Watkinson, Community Engagement Manager at the RAF Museum, said:

“We’re delighted to have worked with National Museums Liverpool and our veterans to create the RAF Memory Suitcase. The RAF story is ultimately a story about people, and the objects and photographs in our collection can hold incredibly powerful personal associations.

Something as simple as a photograph, an item of uniform or a familiar object can be a starting point for a conversation and unlock memories and stories that might otherwise remain untold. It has been particularly important to us that veterans have helped shape the suitcase and decide what should be included.

We hope it will give people living with dementia, their families and carers an enjoyable and meaningful way to connect with RAF stories, as well as with memories and experiences from their own lives. It’s also wonderful to see the RAF represented alongside the Army and Royal Navy, completing the Armed Forces Memory Suitcase collection.”

Dawn Carroll, Head of Programme at House of Memories, National Museums Liverpool, said:

“The RAF Memory Suitcase is an important addition to our Armed Forces collection. Created in partnership with the RAF Museum, it explores stories of service life through significant objects and everyday experiences.

It forms part of our wider work with Armed Forces communities, following previous projects with the National Army Museum and Royal Hospital Chelsea for the My House of Memories app. Alongside our dementia awareness training, the free loan service of Memory Suitcase gives professionals and carers practical resources and the confidence to lead thoughtful, person-centred activities.

We hope it will help raise awareness of dementia across the Armed Forces community and provide meaningful support for veterans living with dementia and those closest to them.”

The Memory Suitcase initiative forms part of National Museums Liverpool’s wider House of Memories programme, which uses museum objects and resources to help people living with dementia connect with their memories and with the people around them.

The partnership reflects the RAF Museum’s commitment to making its collections accessible to a wide range of audiences and finding new ways for RAF stories, objects and experiences to create meaningful connections within communities.