The body armour worn by Diana, Princess of Wales, as she walked through a minefield has gone on display at Edinburgh Castle. The image of Diana, Princess of Wales walking through the recently cleared minefield during her visit to Angola in 1997, is perhaps one of the most iconic of her lifetime. She died in a car crash just a few months later.
The armour has gone on display at the National War Museum at Edinburgh Castle alongside several decommissioned weapons, safety equipment and mine detectors. The items are all part of a new exhibition on the work of the HALO-trust, the world’s largest mine-clearing organisation.
The Halo trust was founded in 1988 and has more than 6000 personnel working in (post) conflict zones in 19 countries. The exhibition will examine the background of the organisation, their current work and the devastating effect landmines have.
Maureen Barrie, exhibitions officer at NMS, which is staging the exhibition until March 2018, said: “This exhibition will offer a fascinating insight into the work of the HALO Trust. Over the past 30 years it has been working all over the world decommissioning mines, providing risk education and helping vulnerable communities get back on track. The exhibition will highlight the importance of the organisation’s ongoing work and how lives have been transformed as a result of this.”
James Cowan, chief executive of the HALO Trust, said: “We are honoured to be the subject of this exhibition. It is a tribute to the work of tens of thousands of local people over nearly 30 years who have made their own communities safer by clearing landmines and the debris of war. I hope it will provide Scottish and international visitors to the museum with a picture of the dedication required to put countries back on their feet after conflict and of the great impact HALO has had, and continues to have, on people’s lives.”
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