The Postal Museum in London has launched a collaborative project with victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal, working with a group of current and former sub-postmasters to create a lasting legacy documenting the impact of the faulty Horizon IT system. Over 900 sub-postmasters were prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 based on incorrect data from the software, leading to wrongful convictions, imprisonment, and financial ruin. The museum is partnering with the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry, led by high court judge Wyn Williams, and has held initial meetings with twelve sub-postmasters to discuss how to mark the scandal in history.
This collaboration matters because it represents an institutional effort to preserve the memory of one of the UK's most significant miscarriages of justice, ensuring the stories of those affected are told in their own words. By integrating this contemporary history into its five-century-long narrative of postal workers, the museum is expanding its mission beyond traditional postal history to address a recent, ongoing trauma. The project also highlights the role of cultural institutions in documenting and memorializing systemic failures, giving a platform to victims whose experiences gained renewed public attention after the 2024 ITV drama "Mr Bates vs The Post Office."