WORK has finished on a museum dedicated to telling the story of Oxfordshire’s military personnel.

The £3m Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum has been handed to a charity for its opening next year.

Situated in the grounds of Woodstock’s The Oxfordshire Museum, it will primarily be about the story of two county regiments.

Construction of the two-storey building started last year and it has now been handed over to the Soldiers of Oxfordshire (SOFO) Trust.

Now the long process of selecting 3,500 exhibits and writing the history of the county’s heroics for displays is under way.

Items will come from the Oxfordshire Yeomanry and the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry.

The museum will also welcome researchers and provide space for temporary exhibitions, including local artists and national tours.

Education and outreach officer Vicki Wood said: “It is not just about uniforms and medals. It is about how conflict has affected the area and its people.”

The trust hopes the popular Oxfordshire Museum – run by Oxfordshire County Council – will bring in visitors.

Director Ursula Corcoran said: “The trust wanted the museum to take a thematic approach, using objects and personal stories to give the regiment’s history.”

Galleries include espionage-themed “Secret Wars” while “Blood and War” will aim to describe life on the frontline.

“Battles” will trace the history of the two regiments from Waterloo to Afghanistan through artefacts like soldiers’ letters, diary extracts and newspaper reports.

Another explores wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s time in The Queen’s Oxfordshire Own Hussars in the early 20th century, while a public appeal led to one on prisoners of war.

A research centre will open next month for researchers and the galleries will open their doors from next spring.

A First World War exhibition is also set to take place in its Cloister Gallery and will use Lottery cash to welcome groups and schools.

Residents can get their first look at the new building, in Park Street, when it opens its doors on Saturday for a one-off children’s crown-making session from 3pm to 5pm.