PRICELESS silverware is going on display in Worcester while its owners fly off to join the War on Terror.

The silver collection belonging to the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment is adding some lustre to a museum in a new exhibition while the soldiers are away in Afghanistan.

The collection, some of it more than 200 years old, is on display now in the Worcestershire Soldier Gallery at the Worcester City Museum and Art Gallery.

It will be on display until September above the library in Foregate Street.

The silver is normally held within the officers' mess of the regiment's 1st Battalion but has been entrusted to the museum while troops tackle the Taliban.

The silver has been amassed over the centuries by the 29th Foot, later the Worcestershire Regiment, and its sister regiment the 36th Foot, the Herefordshire Regiment, which later became part of the Worcestershire Regiment.

John Lowles, curator of the regimental museum and an expert on the its silver, said: "An opportunity for the general public to see an exhibition such as this is extremely rare, which is why we are delighted to have been given this chance to host it.

"Over the years, and during campaigns across the globe the Worcestershire Regiment acquired some unique items. These range from exquisite pieces of solid Georgian silver to magnificent pieces crafted by the very best Burmese silversmiths during the many years the regiment spent abroad."

During the 19th and early 20th centuries the regiment acquired a rich and varied collection of silver, mostly for use in officers' messes.

Some items were donated by individual officers on promotion or retirement or bought by subscription by serving officers.

Others were donated by other regiments or local or civic bodies and some were won in military or sporting competitions.

The earliest piece still in the regiment's possession is a cup hallmarked 1776 but presented in 1800. It is unlikely that the regiment acquired much silver before this date because few military barracks existed and regiments were constantly on the move, billeted in small groups in the towns through which they passed.

Most of the pieces date from the later years of the 19th century when the habit of officers making presentations on retirement was well established or from the early years of the 20th century when the regiment's shooting prowess won it many prizes.

The museum is open daily from 9.30am to 5pm.

A talk and tour of the exhibition will be available some evenings to groups by special arrangement for a small charge.

For more information contact John Lowles the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters regimental headquarters on 01905 354359.