Good Museums.

[von Poop]

Inspired by another thread.
Thought there might already be a thread on this, but I couldn't find it. So..

What are the best museums people have visited?
Why?
Any obscure ones that might have passed people by?

I'll start by recomending the Regimental museum for the Royal Welsh Fusiliers at Caernarvon Castle. I was enjoying the Castle enough last year but this proved to be an unexpected little blinder of a place:
http://www.rwfmuseum.org.uk/index.html
Beautifully set out and full of fascinating 'Stuff'. And In my opinion there can be a shortage of 'stuff' in recent museums.

[Mostonian]

Pegasus Bridge Museum - Ranville, Normandy.
Airborne Museum Pegasus Bridge

Wings of Liberation Museum - Best, Holland.
Wings of Liberation Museum Park - Under a Canopy of Freedom

National War and Resistance Museum - Overloon, Holland
National War and Resistance Museum Overloon

The Imperial War Museum - London, England.
Welcome to the Imperial War Museum

My favourite of the four is The National War & Resistance Museum. It is a huge site with many examples of armour and field guns out in the woods surrounding the main halls, then even more in the more traditional setting.
Added to this are very moving seperate halls containing exhibits on the Jews of Holland and the Scottish regiments who liberated the area, and the sum is overwhelming.

[kfz]

Well I would have recomened the Historic Warship Collection in Birkenhead. Prob the best collection of warships in the country. Inc the time capsule U boat but its been flatterned to make a car park. No idea where any of the exhibits have now gone. Crying shame and about the right the capital of culture, the council would rather spend money on more cafe bars...

The Western Approaches musumn in liverpool very good. A little bit modern musumn stuff, but still well worth a visit. I really enjoyed it. If your into the navel WW2 or the battle of the Atlantic then this is a must.

http://www.liverpoolwarmuseum.co.uk/

[von Poop]

That Western approaches museum looks like a good 'un, wasn't the plan to link U534 closely with it? Looks like she's going back to Denmark(?). I call that tragic as there couldn't have been a more appropriate place for her display than one of the primary control stations for the battle of the Atlantic.

In a similar vein I'd reccomend Bletchley Park as a fascinating site that has a feeling about it that it could close/fall down any day.
http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/
Get down there just in case it does, the colossus reconstruction alone is worth the price of admission.

[Owen]

Have to say our local Regimental one.
http://www.thewardrobe.org.uk/main.php3

Also the DCLI Museum in Bodmin.
http://www.armymuseums.org.uk/amot-s...nce=0000000026

[Glider]

Duxford has to get a mention. The majority of it is of course aircraft but there is a very good Land Warfare hanger with lots of interesting items.
If you can go on one of the guided tours of the Land Warfare exhiibition. The people who run them are veterans and give an insite you are unable to get from just looking.

[von Poop]

Originally Posted by Glider

If you can go on one of the guided tours of the Land Warfare exhiibition. The people who run them are veterans and give an insite you are unable to get from just looking.

That's the sort of thing I thought this thread might be handy for.
I really like Duxford but I had no idea they ran tours of the excellent land hall. WW2 veterans or later? Sounds well worth sorting.

[Loki]

Canadian National War Museum, where you can see this,



Hitler's parade car.

[spidge]

The "Australian" War Memorial is situated in Canberra and is without doubt one of the worlds great museum's.

There are quite a few virtual tours available on the website.

Here is one from "Aircraft Hall" which was opened in 2000.

http://www.awm.gov.au/virtualtour/aircraft_hall.htm

G for George Lancaster, (460 squadron) has it's own area in Anzac Hall so I popped it in as well. It lists every person that flew in W4783 G FOR GEORGE. While G for George never had a fatality, 40% of those died later.

Great virtual tour.

http://www.awm.gov.au/virtualtour/anzac_hall.htm

http://www.awm.gov.au/encyclopedia/george/crew_list.htm

[Glider]

Originally Posted by Von Poop

That's the sort of thing I thought this thread might be handy for.
I really like Duxford but I had no idea they ran tours of the excellent land hall. WW2 veterans or later? Sounds well worth sorting.

The one that I tagged onto was later. He clearly had ended up as a senior officer who served from the mid 50's to the early 80's. Some of the stories he gave were the sort of small things that happened during the cold war such as during meetings with Russians the officers of both sides would be pontificating standing up for their own side, while the ordinary squadies were outside running a black market in odds and sods sucn as Zippo lighters for Russian Caps, that sort of thing.
His joy at 18 being given Saracens for his platoon with its small turret, until his sargent pointed out that if you were relying on on an LMG you were already in to much trouble already.
Basically the sort of thing that brings history to life.