Good Museums.

Discussion in 'WW2 Museums. Events, & places to see.' started by von Poop, Jun 4, 2006.

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  1. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    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.:)
     
  2. Mostonian

    Mostonian Member

    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.
     
    Maurice Earp likes this.
  3. kfz

    kfz Very Senior Member

    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/
     
  4. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    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.
     
  5. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

  6. Glider

    Glider Senior Member

    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.
     
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  7. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    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.
     
  8. Loki

    Loki Member

    Canadian National War Museum, where you can see this,

    [​IMG]

    Hitler's parade car.
     
  9. spidge

    spidge RAAF RESEARCHER

    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
     
  10. Glider

    Glider Senior Member

    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.
     
  11. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    (I visited Canadian War Museum in 1992.)
    Loki's post reminds me of The Arsenal in Vienna. Went there in 1990. Didn't know what to expect.
    http://www.hgm.or.at/eng/
    Outstanding exhibits include the automobile in which Archduke Francis Ferdinand rode and the uniform he wore when he was assassinated at Sarajevo in June of 1914 (the event touched off World War I)


    [​IMG]
    Three objects dominate this room: the automobile in which the heir to the throne Francis Ferdinand and his wife were shot in 1914, the blood-stained uniform of the Archduke and the chaiselongue on which he died


    Better put some Tanks in for VP as it's his thread.
    [​IMG]
     
  12. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
    Tanks.
     
  13. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    I'd go for Cosford - Duxford and Hendon.
    I've found the curators of each of these museums to be very helpful. At Cosford I was permited to board their Liberator (now at Hendon) and photograph it extensively. At Hendon I did the same with their Blenheim and at Duxford their Shackleton, also at Duxford I was given a tour of their workshops without even asking, an added bonus.
     
  14. Kiwiwriter

    Kiwiwriter Very Senior Member

    Imperial War Museum. No question. It has everything I want to see...and I donated items from 9/11 to them, too! :)
     
    Maurice Earp likes this.
  15. Gnomey

    Gnomey World Travelling Doctor

    I like the IWM another one to look out for is the RAF Museum at Hendon and Duxford of course.
     
  16. kfz

    kfz Very Senior Member

    oh yea Cosford.. Fantastic, massive amount of expermental and specialsit stuff.

    the V1, V2, the radio/wire guided bombs, the air to air missiles, Komet, A 262 (I think).

    Also if you into post war jets, 3 lightning prototypes (amazing), a TSR2, the fairy delta, laods of other stuff I cant remember. Even dead easy to get to nbot far from the M6.

    Another must do.

    http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/Cosford/index.cfm
     
  17. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    And the cold war (oops, I mentioned the cold war...) hall at Cosford is finished this year, all the V-Bombers under one roof. Cosford & Hendon are also Free!
     
  18. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    I've held back but Now I have to say it.

    Bovington Tank Museum,

    http://www.tankmuseum.co.uk/colhid.html (Hidden collection)
    http://www.tiger-tank.com/secure/journal.htm (Tiger 131 journal)

    If you haven't been then go. A world standard collection possibly only eclipsed by Kubinka's...

    Anyone been to Kubinka?, we're looking into it but it looks like a
    Bureaucratic nightmare to get in. Anyone been through the process?
     
  19. kfz

    kfz Very Senior Member


    Just dont take the Wife/girlfriend/partner person....

    I nearly got divorced.

    "look look its a king tiger!!!"

    "any look over there a DD Sherman!!"
     
  20. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    :D
    Luckily I have an extremely tolerant missus.
    I smile and nod at her rattling on about allotments.
    She smiles and nods at my rattling on about Tanks.

    If you like the Kingtiger(P) they've got there then get yourself down to 'Tankfest' on the 25th. The Henschell Koenigstiger from Shrivenham will be on public display for the first time ever, not often you see 2 PzVIBs' in the same place.
     

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