If there’s one thing that Britain is good at then it’s fighting wars. I think the reason we’re so amazing at it is because we’ve been practising non-stop for a thousand years: the Hundred Years War, Seven Years War, Peninsular War, Napoleonic War, World War I and II. That’s why we have so many military museums in London: the Imperial War Museum, RAF Museum, Guards’ Museum, Household Cavalry Museum, National Maritime Museum, Churchill War Rooms, HMS Belfast… I’ve probably missed out a couple. Today I’m off to the National Army Museum.
British Army soldiers
The first exhibition is called ‘Have you got what it takes to be a soldier?’ and I straight away know the answer to that: no. It begins with the medical which sounds like torture to me, then the physical training (more torture), weapons training (more torture), daily drill (more torture), and finally what life is like during combat (which doesn’t sound too bad in comparison).
The next section is all about the psychological effects of war… the shell shock, nightmares, loss of limbs, seeing their friend’s headless torso tumbling into a trench, picking up someone’s shoes and seeing their severed feet still inside them (I’m not making any of this up). They certainly don’t shy away from the trauma of war. That’s the weird thing about war museums: half of the exhibits are patriotic posters that are trying to sign you up, and the other half do their darnedest to put you off.
Battle of Waterloo & Duke of Wellington
The National Army Museum seems to focus much more on the soldiers themselves because the only battle they deal with in detail is Waterloo. They’ve got a mock-up of the battlefield and a few touchscreen TVs explaining what happened, plus an interesting cabinet of mementos including Wellington’s weathered hat. (If you want to see some more mementos from Waterloo then try the Guards’ Museum first, then the Household Cavalry Museum.)
The biggest difference between the National Army Museum and other war museums is the number of vehicles on display. If you want uniforms and medals and every kind of weapon from Zulu shields to Mughal blades then this place is great because they’ve got a wide variety from the 17th-century up to the present day, from the English Civil War right through to the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
If you want Sherman tanks and Spitfires then you’re better off going to the Imperial War Museum. The only vehicles I could find in here were a desert jeep, a missile launcher, and a cutaway tank turret that you can climb inside.
The final section is a collection of propaganda posters and photos… everything from the classic ‘Loose Lips Sink Ships’ to Gregory Peck’s chiseled chin in the The Guns Of Navarone.
If you enjoy this then try Guards’ Museum (walk it in 28 mins or travel from Sloane Square to St Jamess Park via tube) and Imperial War Museum (take a tube journey from Sloane Square to Lambeth North). If you’re only interested in World War II then try the Churchill War Rooms, HMS Belfast and RAF Museum
The author Craig Cross owns city-guide.london and has spent the last decade reviewing the capital’s landmarks, attractions and hotels. His guidebook London Squire is available from Amazon
Your comments and questions
Mike Which one is better to visit, the National Army Museum or Imperial War Museum (or another one)?
Craig Hi Mike. I think this place is better if you're interested in the soldiers themselves, and what it's like to actually be a soldier in the army, whereas the Imperial War Museum is better for the big vehicles and battles. But if it's World War II you're interested in then I would go to the Churchill War Rooms instead
Naomi Hi, is it free to enter? (2 adults and a 5-year old)
Craig Hi Naomi. Yes, it's free. But they sometimes have a temporary exhibition on the go which you might have to pay for.
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