MUSEUM PIECES

We acknowledge from the relevant brochures and guides the information given in our list, but we advise you to check direct as to current opening times and prices before journeying to visit.

Click one of the names listed below to move to its details on this page together with Web links in some cases.

1. Eden Camp
2. The Scottish Military Museums
3. The Secret Underground Cold War Bunker
4. Yorkshire Flight Centre
5. The Muckleburgh Collection
6. The Imperial War Museum
7. HMS Belfast
8. Duxford Airfield
9. The Cabinet War Rooms
10. Wild Tracks
11. The Berlin Allied Museum
12. Elvington Air Base
13. The Military Museum of The Royal Dragoon Guards
14. Kohima Museum
15. Fleet Air Arm Museum
16. Tank Museum
17. REME Museum of Technology
18. National Army Museum
19. The Royal Armouries
20. Bletchley Park
21. Hack Green Cold War and Radar Bunker Museum
22. Violette Szabo Museum
23. Fort George
24. The Royal Leicestershire Regiment Gallery
25. The Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum
26. The Royal Air Force Museum
27. The Leicestershire Yeomanry Collection
28. The Queen's Royal Lancers
29. The Royal Marines Museum
30. Royal Navy Submarine Museum
31. The Jet Heritage Aviation Museum
32. The RAF Museum Cosford
33. The Thiepval Memorial and proposed Visitor Centre
34. The Amberley Museum
35. The Museum of Submarine Telegraphy, Porthcurno
36. The RAF Signals Museum, Henlow
37. The Keep Military Museum, Dorchester
38. The Royal Navy Museum of Communications and Radar
39. The Museum of Army Flying
40. The Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum
41. The Royal Air Force Air Defence Radar Museum
42. The Fovant Badges
43. The Newark Air Museum
44. The Holocaust Centre - Museum and Gardens
45. The Orkney Wireless Museum
46. REFLECTING SCAPA FLOW
47. The Black Watch Museum
48. Firepower - The Royal Artillery Museum
49. HMS Collingwood Museum of Communications and Radar

• Archive - 01258 482413
• Curator - 01258 482683
• Gift Shop - 01258 482248 (Mail-Order Catalogue and Price List available)
• Business Development - 01258 282258
• Fax - 01258 482084

In this the 100th Anniversary Year of Marconi's celebrated world's first transatlantic wireless transmission the ONLINE MARCONI MUSEUM has been launched. Literally thousands of Web pages and many, many photographs and other items are now available.

CORNUCOPIA, DISCOVERING UK COLLECTIONS is a rapidly developing new site of the Museums and Galleries Commission. The pilot website provides information on the 50 museums in England with Designated collections. Designation celebrates pre-eminent museum collections outside the National museums and now covers a wide-ranging group of outstanding collections in museums throughout England. The importance of Designated collections has been recognised by Government with a £15m Challenge Fund over the next three years. The full CORNUCOPIA is on-line and covers the collections of all 1,700 MGC Registered museums in the UK. Users will be able to explore many types and sizes of museums relevant to their research and interests.

24 HOUR MUSEUM welcomes us with: “Welcome to the 24 Hour Museum - our new national gateway to museums, galleries and heritage. For the first time all UK museums and galleries are “on line” and you will be able to link into their own Web sites from here. This site will constantly change and evolve as we add new information and features throughout the year. So log on and keep up to date with 2,000 museums and galleries.” Loyd Grossman, Chairman, The Campaign for Museums." Our own first trial run with their search facility produced 572 entries under the heading "Weapons and War"!! Naturally our own Museum is included and the Site is very exciting to visit. Searches can be made also via an on line map which is useful if you anticipate a rainy day whilst on holiday!

Iain Stewart, of Dawlish Devon has a very comprehensive website on the burial location of every Victoria Cross holder interred world-wide all in extremely differing circumstances. Some in well-tended churchyards and cemeteries, others in now neglected and overgrown private cemeteries and abandoned churchyards. And sadly, a large number buried in common ground or in pauper's graves, which remain unmarked by a headstone and therefore unrecognised. The state of affairs of this latter group is the concern of a dedicated band of volunteers determined to get every VC holder's grave marked by a headstone.

Each entry, listed by county, contains:

• Name
• Rank
• Force
• Date and location of VC action
• Date of announcement in the London Gazette
• Place and date of birth
• Date and place of death
• Location of grave
• Location of the Victoria Cross
• Remarks

The site also includes:

• An index of regimental museums and the Victoria Crosses they hold
• Index of Victoria Cross holders and their museum medal locations
• A rolling 'News' service on the Victoria Cross
• A regular update on the sale and auction of VC medal groups
• A summary of the history of the Victoria Cross, from its beginnings in 1855 to the first investiture on 26 June 1857
• A selective description of how some Victoria Cross recipients won their award
• A glossary of decorations and awards
• A link to Mike Chapman's VC website - The Victoria Cross Reference

Iain's page listing all the Regimental Museums in the country who display Victoria Crosses, (which is most of them) is particularly valuable in the context of our own attempts to be informative as to Regimental Museums, and we are grateful to him for this opportunity of linking to it.

David Harvey - his OBITUARY was published in the Daily Telegraph on 17th March 2004 - who has died aged 57, spent 36 years seeking and researching the graves and memorials of more than 1,300 holders of the Victoria Cross since the first awards were made in 1856.
His two-volume Monuments to Courage, published in 1999, records not only those who are suitably commemorated in cemeteries around the world, but also the 77 who he found had been buried in unmarked or neglected graves in the British Isles

Terry Hissey and Roger P. B. Hebblethwaite have made extensive efforts to compile and maintain THE GEORGE CROSS DATABASE website. The George Cross was instituted in September 1940 to recognise civilian heroism at the height of the Blitz. King George VI created the award for the men and women of the Commonwealth whose courage could not be marked by any other honour. To date, there have been 401 awards of the George Cross these are all categorised under Recipients: Alphabetical List, Living and Collective Awards and there is much more including The Decoration, Facts and Statistics together with full search facilities.

THE DUTCH AIRBORNE MUSEUM is near Arnhem and well worth a visit. If you cannot visit in person may we recommend you go to their Web site?

• EDEN CAMP is more than worthy of mention - located at Malton, North Yorkshire 14 miles from Helmsley, 18 miles from York, 7 miles from Pickering, 22 miles from Scarborough and 25 miles from Beverley it is open daily 1000 - 1700 from 14th February to 23rd December. This unique Museum transports you back to wartime Britain - you experience the sights, sounds and even the smells of those dangerous years in the huts of a genuine Prisoner of War Camp built during 1942.

  Very few people born before 1946 would not be moved after visiting this wonderful place: the outstanding array of exhibits, so carefully arranged to re-create the situations of the time, the authentic sounds and even smells and movement (stand on the deck of one of the "Little Ships" at Dunkirk) all trigger your possibly dimming memories of 1939-45 and Britain at War.

  There are many items for sale including a CD-ROM Resource pack - a multi-media computer based package in PC format fully interactive in presenting a journey back in time (Price £19.99), wartime reproduction posters, and magnificent audio cassettes (one, "50 Songs That Won the War" Geoff. Love is very attractive), books, and many other items. A special Old Comrades' photographs and letters display is included and the Morse being "transmitted" by the lady Resistance Agent interviewing a crashed RAF pilot is perfect! There is free Car Parking for 400 cars and 30 coaches. Over 20 Huts (terminating in a specially dedicated Chapel) contain this glimpse into the past with excellent catering and other facilities and fully accessible for the disabled and visually impaired (Braille sheets and tapes available). Telephone 01653 697777.

  Eden Camp can be read about on the Internet now that it has its own web site - there is a full colour map showing all the exhibition huts, full details of each hut and details of all the items for sale and facilities for "getting in touch"
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• THE SCOTTISH MILITARY MUSEUMS SITE says "Scotland boasts a proud and unique military history, which has had considerable impact on the Scotland we know today. Despite defence reductions which have led to the regrouping of regiments, this reputation lives on, and is as respected as it was over a century ago." It covers:- The Regimental Museum of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, The Regimental Museum of the Royal Scots, The Regimental Museum of the Royal Highland Fusiliers, The Regimental Museum of the King's Own Scottish Borderers, The Regimental Museum of the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), The Regimental Museum of the Black Watch, The Regimental Museum of the Gordon Highlanders, The Regimental Museum of the Queen's Own Highlanders, The Regimental Museum of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, The Ayrshire Yeomanry Museum, and The Scottish United Services Museum.
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• Post-war but still interesting - THE KELVEDON HATCH SECRET NUCLEAR BUNKER for Devolved Central Government and only 20 miles from the City centre - (the secret world of Nuclear Government and Military Commanders) is open to the public - located in the Essex countryside access by car is only from the A128 Ongar to Brentwood Road at Kelvedon Hatch - from the M11 take the A414 (Chelmsford) to Ongar then take the A128 to Brentwood: from the M25 - interchange with the A12, J28, take the A1023 to Brentwood then the A128 to Ongar. The nearest Rail stations are Brentwood or Shenfield, and by Tube - from Debden, Theydon Bois or Epping on the Central Line.
  Opening Times
  Summer: March 1st to October 31st - Open Every Day!
  Weekdays :
  Open 10 am - Last entry 4 pm
  Weekends & Bank Holidays :
  Open 10 am - Last entry 5pm
  Winter: November 1st to February 28/29th
  
  Open Thursday to Sunday inclusive. Open from 10 - Last entry 4 pm*
  (* Usually open during school holidays and half term.)
  Admission Charges
  Adults £5
  Children £3 (5-16 Years)
  Family £12 (2+2)
  Group Discount 15+ 10%
  Groups may attend by prior appointment at any time of the year and parties and coaches have a 10% discount offered. There are guided tours each hour provided there are more than 4 adults per party.
  The premises have refreshments, souvenir shop and toilet facilities and there is ample free car parking. The surrounding woodlands are open to the public. Please note that there are no lifts within the structure and access is by means of stairs throughout. Telephone 01277 364883.

  The Bunker was part of the chain of underground nerve centres maintained throughout the Cold War. Built in 1952, 100 feet below the surface, it comprises 3 storeys capable of housing over 100 tons of equipment and up to 600 Government personnel. There is a huge Communications Centre, a BBC Studio, large dormitories, a Sick Bay to supply the medical requirements for up to 3 months, Power Plant and Filtration Plant, Radar Room, the Canteen which would operate "round the clock", a Scientists' Centre from which nuclear explosions would have been monitored as well as fallout patterns.
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• If you have an urge to pilot a Boeing 737 it's fairly certain you will never realise your ambition. However, with modern technology, there's a way out. pay a visit to the - YORKSHIRE FLIGHT CENTRE - at Knaresborough and there, hidden in a barn, you will locate the Boeing 737 Flight Simulator wherein your session in this full motion hydraulic Simulator commences with a flight briefing followed by a 60 minute visit to the flight deck which includes your turn in control from Take Off to Landing. For free Brochure and further details telephone 01423 340664.
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• Next - THE MUCKLEBURGH COLLECTION - which is Britain's largest working Military Collection. It is privately owned and all under cover. Located at Weybourne between Wells and Cromer in Norfolk you can enjoy an exciting coastal ride in a USA personnel carrier and see 16 tanks, all in working order, 54 model ships, 120 vehicles, guns and missiles and many uniforms and medals. There are areas dedicated to the Suffolk and Norfolk Yeomanry and the Royal Flying Corps. There is also a Gulf War Weaponry display, 600 models of Military Vehicles and Aircraft from WW1 and WWII and a Battle of Britain Display.
  The Museum is open every day from 13th April 2003 until 2nd November 2003 (10am - 5pm) admission for an Adult is £5.50 (Senior Citizens £4.50), HM Forces £4.50, Children £3.00 (under 5 years old FREE) and a family ticket is available at £13.50. There are full facilities for the disabled. Located at Weybourne Military Camp, Weybourne, Holt, Norfolk, NR25 7EG. Further details telephone 01263 588210.
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• On 17th March 1917 the War Cabinet approved the formation of a National War Museum. What later became the IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM in London is now visited by 500,000 people a year. Bringing the past alive through imaginative and innovative displays covering the First and Second World Wars - its "Blitz Experience" provides a completely authentic taste of Britain under fire. The Museum covers conflicts involving Britain and the Commonwealth since 1914 in extreme detail.
  Underground stations: Lambeth North, Waterloo or Elephant and Castle. Location Lambeth Road, London SE1. Telephone 0207 416 5000.

  It is now possible to access the Imperial War Museum catalogues online. If you want to browse there are short essays on major historical themes which lead you to selected highlights from all the collections. The Imperial War Museum contains objects and works of art, a library, plus archives of documents, film, photographs and sound. The present database covers the collections of documents, film and sound in detail; other collections will be added over the next few months

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• HMS Belfast is the place to discover naval history - the vessel is the last survivor of the Royal Navy's big gun ships. This 11,500 cruiser is permanently moored in the river Thames opposite the Tower of London as a floating naval museum. Underground stations: London Bridge or Tower Hill. Location Morgan's Lane, Tooley Street, London SE1. Telephone 0207 940 6300.
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• Duxford retains its wartime atmosphere and, as many of its aeroplanes still fly, you might even see one take to the air during a visit. Over 400,000 visitors come to Duxford annually and see biplanes, Spitfires, Concorde and Gulf War jets among the 180 historic aircraft on show.
  Located at Imperial War Museum, Duxford, Cambridgeshire CB2 4QR the daily opening hours are Summer (16 March - 26 October) 10.00am - 6.00pm (last admission 5.15pm), Winter 10.00am - 4.00pm.
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• THE CABINET WAR ROOMS, Clive Steps, Horseguards Road, London SW1 were the nerve centre of Britain's war effort. Located in the basement of a government building in the heart of ceremonial London, they were hurriedly converted on the eve of the Second World War as emergency underground accommodation to protect the Prime Minister and the British Government against air attack. In operational use from 27th August 1939 to the Japanese surrender in 1945, these rooms were to become the vital nerve-centre used by Winston Churchill, his War Cabinet and the Chiefs of Staff of Britain's armed forces during the greatest threat to its continuing existence that the nation has ever known. Today, visitors can view the original complex of 21 historic rooms, and marvel at the Spartan conditions endured by those who worked in them, preserved exactly as they were before the lights were finally extinguished after 6 years of war. Churchill's medals were put on display for the first time during November 1999 and there are plans for expansion and a museum devoted to Churchill in 2000. Entrance to the complex is on Horse Guards Road overlooking St.James's Park with special access by lift and full facilities for the disabled. All visitors are provided with a free personal Acoustiguide sound guide, available in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Danish and Dutch. Open daily 9.30am (10.00am 1 October - 31 March) - 6.00pm (last admission 5.15pm). Underground station: Westminster of St.James's Park. Buses: 3, 11, 12, 24, 53, 77a, 88, 109, 159, 184, 211. Admission Adults £4.80, Children (5-16 years) Free, Pensioners £3.30, Students £3.30. Telephone 0207 930 6961.
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• Tanks for the memory. Did you perhaps drive a Chieftain? And get paid for it? Do the kids enquire "What did you do when you were a soldier, dad?" Now is your chance to do it again, and show them. It will cost you however. At - WILD TRACKS - near Newmarket, Suffolk there is a comprehensive collection of privately-owned military vehicles. Visitors can drive (a half-day costs £98 and a full day £195) the famous Chieftain battle tank (all 55 tonnes of it), an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) FV432, the 6x6 Stalwart High Mobility Load Carrier and other ex-Army decommissioned famous types (the armaments have been removed although for authenticity the battle tank still carries its gun barrel). Guests are provided with camouflage overalls and the Instructors include ex-military members. The site covers 7 acres, is fully landscaped and terrain-designed to provide the usual ups-and-downs familiar on the old Tank Training Grounds. To get further details and to book ring 01638 751918.
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• The Berlin ALLIED MUSEUM opened in June and launches 11 months of celebrations of the 1948 Berlin Airlift. The museum commemorates the entire Cold War and includes a piece of the now defunct Berlin Wall (with watchtower and graffiti and the "death strip") as well as the cabin known as "Checkpoint Charlie" (the former division between East and West Berlin) and they also have a Type 5 Avro Hastings transport aircraft of the era. The Director is Helmut Trotnow.
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• ELVINGTON AIR BASE - (The Allied Air Forces Memorial) - is on the right of the B1228 road off the York by-pass having turned right onto the Hull exit (A1079). Open throughout the year 1030 to 1600 hrs (week-ends and Bank Holidays to 1700 hrs). Parking and facilities for disabled free. The Museum was created in 1985 on the former Royal Air Force Elvington Bomber Base as a living memorial to the Allied Air Forces who served in Yorkshire during WWII. You may sit in the cockpit of a Jet Provost or Canberra aircraft, visit the control tower and hear the sound of a Halifax bomber 200ft above your head, stand close to over 20 aircraft, see the Barnes Wallis collection of "Dam Busters" fame and feel the nostalgia generated by the collection of military vehicles. Catering is in their NAAFI self-service restaurant. Books and prints can be purchased from the shop. Telephone: 01904 608595.
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• THE MILITARY MUSEUM of THE ROYAL DRAGOON GUARDS and The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire is located at 3A Tower Street, York (opposite Cliffords Tower). Opening hours are 0900 to 1630 hrs Monday to Saturday. The 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards and the 5th Royal Inskilling Dragoon Guards amalgamated in 1992 to form The Royal Dragoon Guards. From the predecessors of the 5th RIDG came two Officers who achieved world-wide fame - Lt. Col. Baden-Powell founded the Scouting Movement and Captain Oates accompanied Captain R.F.Scott on his ill-fated Antarctic Expedition in 1912. Telephone: 01904 662790.
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• KOHIMA MUSEUM marks the Story of the Second Division's exploits at the Battle of Kohima 1944. In the spring of 1944 a battle was fought in and around a small town in north east India called Kohima. By the time it ended, the Imperial Japanese Army had suffered its first defeat in a set-piece battle in the whole of the Burma Campaign. Today, on what at the time was the tennis court behind the District Commissioner's bungalow, which saw some of the most intense fighting, stands the memorial to those members of the Second Division and others who died in the battle. Although pilgrimages to the memorial are made periodically by those who can afford them, the Kohima Museum is now the natural focus for many veterans of the battle, who return to York once a year to remember their comrades who died. The Museum is located at Imphal Barracks, Fulford Road, York. There is no entrance charge, there is adequate carparking, a Restaurant, Toilets and it is fully accessible to the disabled. A small number of items are available for purchase. The museum houses a collection of items donated almost exclusively by the veterans and their relatives. It is thus a very personal collection and attempts to tell the story of the battle through the eyes of those who fought in it. Housed within the confines of a working military barracks ACCESS ARRANGEMENTS ARE BY PRIOR APPOINTMENT ONLY. On this basis, however, all visitors are made warmly welcome and are free to spend as much time studying the collection as they wish. The Curator is Major (Retd) John Jessop and his telephone number is 01904 665806, alternatively contact the Officer i/c Major Matthew Bailey on 01904 662428.
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• FLEET AIR ARM MUSEUM is one of the world's leading and largest aviation museums. Exhibitions include: Concorde 002, World Wars 1 and 2, Kamikaze, Wrens, Korea, Recent Conflicts, Harrier "Jump" Jet. The major new exhibition - the "Ultimate Carrier Experience" - a flight-deck on land, includes 10 actual aircraft.
  There are over 6 acres of exciting exhibits of which 3 acres are under cover. Facilities includeThe Swordfish 'themed' licensed Restaurant, an extensive Gift Shop, Free car parking, Children's Adventure Playground, Picnic area, Airfield viewing galleries. The Museum is accessible to the disabled for whom there are facilities. Opening Times: 10am to 5.30pm (April to October), 10am to 4.30pm (November to March) and the Museum is open 362 days (closed 24th, 25th and 26th December). Telephone: 01935-840565. Fleet Air Arm Museum, RNAS Yeovilton, Ilchester, Somerset BA22 8HT located on the B3151, just off the A303 at RNAS Yeovilton.
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• THE TANK MUSEUM - where you can discover the story as told by those men and women who designed, built and fought in Tanks. The vehicle exhibits total some 150. There are new interactive displays, side shows, stalls and a fun fair in this location of entertainment for all the family. Special Events include a full day of spectacular Battle re-enactments, firepower and mobility displays where you can see tanks in battle action. There are Armoured Vehicle rides from July to September (excepting Saturdays). Facilities include Free Car and Coach Parking, Coach Driver facilities, a licensed Restaurant, Gift Shop, Picnic Area, a Junior Assault Course. There are Group and Party Rates of admission and wheelchair access. Open all year. Daily 10-5. £6.50; OAP/DIS £5.50; Child (5-16) £4.50; Family 2+2) £17.50. Telephone 01929-405096. The Tank Museum, Bovington, Wareham, Dorset BH20 6JG.
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• REME MUSEUM OF TECHNOLOGY - this new Museum of Technology is located at Isaac Newton Road, Arborfield, near Reading, Berkshire RG2 9NJ and houses collections of Historic Repair and Recovery Vehicle Collection (not currently on display), a Weapons Collection (also not currently on display) and a Communications, Electronic and Radar Equipment Collection (courtesy of CHiDE Museum, Bournemouth).Current displays include Basic Electronics, REME through the Years and Barrack Room, and ATS and the Medal Room). The Web site gives a short History of REME, details of REME Association, REME Association Shop and "The Craftsman" Magazine. Future plans include Aeronautical and Electronic Engineering Displays, Documentary Archives, Pictorial Archives and Technical Archives. Links from the Web site are in place to CFSEME - Canadian Forces School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, the Centre for the History of Defence Electronics (CHiDE) and others.

  For further information you may Email Judy Booth or telephone 0118 976 3384.
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• THE NATIONAL ARMY MUSEUM is located at the Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea, London SW3 4HT and it is here that you will recapture the full story of the British soldier in peace and in war from the 15th Century up to Bosnia. This is the British Army's very own Museum and is open daily from 10.00am to 5.00p.m. except New Year's Day, Good Friday, the early May Public Holiday and 24-26 December). Admission is free and you may Email the Museum or telephone them on 020 7730 0717. The Web site gives full details of the Museum, What's On, How To Find Us, Facilities, the Bookshop and more.
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• THE ROYAL ARMOURIES MUSEUM is the UK's national museum of arms and armour and has centres at Leeds, Fort Nelson and London.

  At LEEDS - (Armouries Drive, Leeds LS10 1LT - 24-hour Information Hotline 0990 1066 66) the opening hours are from 10.30am to 5.30pm (10.30am to 4.30pm from 1 November 1999) except Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day). The duration of a typical museum visit is about 4 hours and the admission charges in Low Season are - Adult £4.95, Senior Citizens and Students £4.50, Children £4.25 and Family groups £17.95 and in High Season Adult £7.95, Senior Citizens and Students £6.95, Children £4.95 and Family groups £23.95. High Season Prices apply to the following periods: 4th April - 27th April, 2nd May - 4th May, 23rd May - 31st May, All of July and August, 1st September - 6th September. Other than the Information Line the telephone number is 0113 220 1999, e-mail: enquiries@armouries.org.
  At FORT NELSON, PORTSMOUTH - The Royal Armouries is home to one of Europe's great collections, formed over centuries of exploration and conquest. It is a collection of art as much as arms. In fact many pieces are so exquisite, you'll see why they were designed for show as well as active service. Imaginative scenes and exhibits, together with innovative audio visual techniques successfully describe the development of artillery over 500 years. There are:- Souvenir and gift shop, Powder Keg Coffee Shop and Restaurant, Free parking and panoramic views, Free guided tours. Facilities and dedicated parking for visitors with disabilities. Hand-held state-of-the-art audio tour at no extra charge. Video programmes explaining the Fort and the guns. Evening visits by arrangement. The museum is licensed for civil marriages, trade promotions, seminars, corporate and business functions. The Fort is open: Daily 10am to 5pm (Last admission 4pm) Admission: Adult £4.25, Senior Citizens £3.50, Child/Student £2.80, Family (2+2) £10.00, Family (2+3) £12.00
  At LONDON - it is FREE ADMISSION (a charge is made to enter H.M. Tower of London). The new displays tell the story of the building and development of the Royal Armouries and its predecessors at the Tower as royal armoury, working arsenal and national museum. Telephone 0171 709 0765 for further information.
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• BLETCHLEY PARK is located at Wilton Avenue, Bletchley, Milton Keynes and is universally known as the home of "Britain's Best Kept Secret" referring to the WWII use of the Mansion as a Codebreaking Centre to the extent of shortening the War. Here are available:-
  
  • Guided Tours, Mansion, Exhibitions & Cryptology Trail
  • An Exhibition of the breaking of Japanese Codes
  • The Polish contribution to the code breaking
  • The German Enigma
  • Cipher Machines
  • The re-build of Colossus the world's first Computer
  • And more including Aircraft Recovery, Computers, Radar & Electronics, US Re-enactment, Churchill Memorabilia, Military Vehicles, Model Boats, Fire Engines, Cinema Projectors, Uniforms, Life in the Park, Toy Collection, Model Railways

  How to get to the Park:-
  Bletchley Park is in Bletchley just south of Milton Keynes. Easy access via A5, M1, A421 or A4146. Trains from London Euston and elsewhere to Bletchley Station followed by a short walk to the Park. From the centre of Bletchley (Railway Station) go west on the Buckingham Rd (B4034) under they railway bridge and straight through a double roundabout. Past "The George" (a pub) on the right (north side of the road) and turn right (northward) onto Church Green Lane immediately before the "Eight Belles". The first right will be Wilton Avenue leading directly to the gates of The Park.

  Opening times:-
  Bletchley Park is open alternate weekends starting the weekend of 10/11th January this year from 10.30am to 5.00pm, last admission 3.30pm.
  Admission:-
  £3.50, concessions £3, charges may vary for special events

  Contact The Bletchley Park Trust, The Mansion, Bletchley Park, Milton Keynes, MK3 6EF on 01908 640404 for further information.
  

  Former Secret Service Chief to be BP Heritage Advisory Panel Chairman - Released : Dec 1, 2005
  Sir Richard Dearlove, Former Secret Intelligence Service Chief, to be Bletchley Park Heritage Advisory Panel Chairman.
  The Bletchley Park Trust today announced that Sir Richard Dearlove KCMG OBE MA has been appointed Chairman of the Bletchley Park Heritage Advisory Panel. The Panel’s role is to provide top level strategic advice on development plans for Bletchley Park. Sir Richard is currently Master of Pembroke College, founded in 1347 and the third oldest college in Cambridge. It was at Queens’ College Cambridge, from which he graduated, that his potential for the intelligence service is thought to have developed and in 1966, Sir Richard began his career in the Secret Intelligence Service, commonly known as MI6. Postings have included Nairobi, Prague, Paris, Geneva and Washington, where he was Head of Station. Sir Richard became Director of Personnel and Administration in 1993, Director of Operations in 1994 and Assistant Chief of SIS in 1998. In 1999, he succeeded Sir David Spedding as ‘C’, shorthand for Chief of Service since the agency’s founder Captain Sir Mansfield Cumming.
  Sir Richard said he had been, “impressed by the progress made by Bletchley Park Trust in realising the potential of a site that is much more than a museum.” He also said he was, “delighted,” that American billionaire philanthropist Sidney E Frank had decided to champion Alan Turing’s memory and work through the education and exhibition programmes initiated by Bletchley Park Trust. He hoped that others, inspired by Sidney Frank’s outstanding generosity, would step forward to continue the preservation and exploitation of this site of world importance.
  The Bletchley Park Heritage Advisory Panel is an international group that includes as founder members Dr David Kahn, a Christ Church, Oxford alumnus and historian of intelligence who is expert on codes, cryptology and communications intelligence; Professor Jack Copeland, professor of philosophy at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand and Director of the Turing Archive for the History of Computing.
  Over the last two years, the Bletchley Park Trust has restored Blocks, A, B (phase one) and E, established an American Garden Trail, opened the Bletchley Park Science and Innovation Centre and a number of new exhibitions and developed unique mathematics learning resources for students and educators. Work began this week on a grant-funded programme to restore Hut 8, Alan Turing’s former workplace. Bletchley Park is not government funded but has received Ministry of Defence and other government grants for capital projects.

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• With the lengthy title of HACK GREEN COLD WAR and RADAR BUNKER MUSEUM this remote location is to be discovered by following the signs for Nantwich and Crewe (in Cheshire) from the M6 motorway's Junction 16. You then plot a course towards Whitchurch on the A530 and if it is between 1000hrs and 1700hrs from 1st March and 31st October or at weekends throughout the winter or any Bank Holiday (except Christmas Day and Boxing Day) you will find your visit well worth the journey. Telephone 01270 629219 to check first and to receive more information. This recently-opened site was originally a decoy for enemy bombers aiming for the main railway centre at Crewe, then it became RAF Hack Green (a fixed radar site). Its long history continued into the post-War period which saw it as a component of the "Rotor" Home and Ground Control Intercept Radar Network. Subsequently it was part of the ATC System (Air Traffic Control) until 1966. Even then its role was not ended - the Cold War brought new demands for housing Government in case of a nuclear attack and it was modified as quarters for up to 130 essential personnel. The present-day displays show all this and the work of the Royal Observer Corps, and include a large collection of military radar equipment as well as communications material, arms and vehicles. There are also films on many aspects of the life story of this fascinating location.
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• The well-known story of Violette Szabo, GC. (dramatised in the film “Carve Her Name with Pride” and re-told in the book of the same title); that Odette Churchill said of her “She was the bravest of us all” and that Violette’s cousins used to live at “Cartref” at Wormelow are all facts very much to the forefront of the life and work of the present owner of that house, Miss Rosemary E. Rigby, MBE.
  Miss Rigby is creating a Museum to the memory of this undoubted heroine at the rear of her home . Local residents are already donating mementos but more are sought from further afield - if any reader can assist in any way it would be much appreciated. Monetary donations are also being requested for the necessary building work.
  Over half of First Aid Nursing Yeomanry’s total strength was devoted to the work of Special Operations Executive (SOE) during WWII. One of FANYs members was the fiery Violette Szabo (née Violette Reine Elizabeth Bushell) (‘Louise’) who was the half-French daughter of a Brixton motor-car dealer and was said to be the best shot in the SOE. Her husband Etienne Szabo (an Officer of the Free French Forces) was killed at El Alamein shortly after their daughter, Tanya (Tania in some reports) was born. Devastated by the death of her husband Violette willingly volunteered for duty in France. On her first mission she was teamed with Philippe Liéwer, (‘Clément’) a former correspondent of the Havas news Agency. They went by Lysander to a spot near Paris and her task was to make a study of Resistance possibilities in the Rouen area, a task which she completed notwithstanding having to explain her movements to French police who had arrested her. She was freed and made her way back to Paris and requested a pick up - the story is told that she shopped on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées for presents for her daughter to be given to her on arrival in England! Her second para drop into France took place on 10th June near Limoges immediately after the Normandy landings and whilst giving covering fire to a French Maquis leader (‘Anastasie’) she fought in a gun battle (using a Sten gun) with Germans until her ammunition was exhausted. She was incarcerated in Ravensbrück and after horrifying experiences was (with others) shot in 1945. One of the survivors of this infamous camp described her as outstanding amongst the thousands of women there. She was posthumously awarded her George Cross in 1946 and it was received from the King by her 4-year old daughter.
  Leo Marks, who was the head of the Codes Section of the SOE, spoke of Violette almost with awe and devotes to her parts of his recent memoir "Between Silk and Cyanide - The Story of SOE's Code War, 1941-1945" (HarperCollins). The connection between Marks, Violette and the now famous and touching poem "The Life That I Have" is fully detailed in the book. Such poems were used as cyphers by Agents and Marks elected to use original poems rather than established ones, thus allowing less chance of decoding by the enemy.
  A plaque was erected on 26th June 1988 (on what would have been Violette’s 67th birthday) on the outer wall of “Cartref” in the presence of Peter Lee (of the Special Forces Club) and the then MP for Hereford, Sir Colin Shepherd.
  The inscription reads "This plaque is placed as an evergreen tribute to VIOLETTE SZABO, G.C. British Secret Agent born 26th June 1921, executed by the Gestapo at Ravensbrück during 1945 in deep appreciation of her outstanding courage in England's hour of need. Violette spent many happy holidays here at "Cartref" with her Aunt and Uncle Mr. & Mrs. H. Lucas and family. R.I.P. Violette. "Carve her name with pride". Rosemary E. Rigby, 1988" In 1994 a second plaque was presented by the Royal British Legion to mark the VE-day Anniversary when over a hundred persons including a lady who was a former member of Violette’s regiment the FANYs marched to the unveiling.
  Miss Rigby is strenuously pursuing her target of £17,000 in order to fund the proposed Museum. "By April 1999," she said, "the sum of £4,000 had been raised so there is a long way to go!"
  The Millennium Green project is supported by the Herefordshire Council Parks and Countryside Service Partnership Team and the Countryside Commission's "Millennium Green Initiative". A Millennium Field (termed "an oasis of green for the next thousand years") has been donated by Miss Rigby - it is one of 250 such fields to be created across the country. This one is of course dedicated to Violette Szabo and in the 3.5 acres of it a commemorative rock is to be installed at 11am on New Years Day. Views over the spectacular Black Mountains and a chestnut tree planted by Miss Rigby some 20 years ago, the annual appearance of violets, cowslips, daffodils and primroses all add to the aurora of commitment present in this quiet area next to Miss Rigby's home.
  The appeal continued and by October 1999 had reached the sum of £7,500 towards the target figure of £17,000 and further donations are urgently sought. It was announced in early February 2000 that The National Lottery had, according to the Daily Telegraph newspaper, "ridden to the rescue to resolve a grave funding shortfall" to the extent of an award of £5,000. Miss Rigby is of course delighted but the requirement for further funds remains.
  The official opening of the Museum and the Millennium Green took place on Saturday 24th June 2000 and the ceremony was performed by Miss Virginia McKenna who played Violette in the famous film Carve her Name with Pride.
  Our Member Mrs. Ursula Sadler, GØIHM, herself a former member of FANY, was present and her account of the event and a picture showing her operating the Special Event Station GB2SZB is on our dedicated VIOLETTE SZABO PAGE.
  The Wye Valley Brewery has recently launched a series of "Famous Name" ales and its first is "Resistance" dedicated to Violette.
  Miss Rigby can be contacted at “Cartref” Wormelow Hereford HR2 8HN or reached by telephone on 01981-540477
  and the Museum may now be visited online at its Website
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• FORT GEORGE - located 6m W of Nairn, 11m NE of Inverness off the A96. Telephone 01667 460232.

  Built following the Battle of Culloden between 1748 and 1769 as a result of the Jacobite rising and still unaltered , Fort George is one of the outstanding artillery fortifications in Europe. The 1780 room shows Private James Anderson, a soldier who served with the 42nd Royal Highlanders.
  The establishment includes the Regimental Museum of the Queen's Own Highlanders (opening times may vary during the Winter months so please telephone to confirm).

  • Bus - Highland Bus and Coach Company (No.11) from Post Office, Queensgate, Inverness
    (Telephone 01463 233371)
    
  • Rail - Inverness Station 11 miles, Nairn Station 7 miles
    (Telephone 0345 484950)
    

  Admission prices :
  

• Adult £5.00 Reduced £3.50
Opening Times (valid until December 31 2002):
• March 29 to September 30 - daily 9.30am to 6.30pm (Last admission 5.45pm)
• October 1 to March 31 - Monday to Saturday 9.30am to 4.30pm. Sunday 2pm to 4.30pm (Last admission 3.45pm) Car Parking, Bus parking, Toilets, Exhibition, Visitor Centre, Refreshment facilities, Shop, Reasonable wheelchair access, disabled toilets, picnic area.
  

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• THE ROYAL LEICESTERSHIRE REGIMENT GALLERY - Opened on St.George's Day 1999 by General Sir Michael Walker (Colonel of the Royal Anglian Regiment) at the New Walk Museum in Leicester this is a welcome venture following the closure of the original "Tigers" display at the Magazine Museum, Leicester.
  The Regiment was raised in 1688 and became the 17th Foot in 1713. In 1825 King George IV permitted the Regiment to use the Royal Tiger as its emblem following its services in India from 1804 to 1823. In 1881 the title was changed to The Leicestershire Regiment and gained the accolade of "Royal" in 1946. It was amalgamated into the Royal Anglian Regiment in 1964. The three divisions of the exhibition cover (1) The formation of the Regiment, (2)its campaigns and (3) the soldiers who served in it.
  The Gallery is open from Monday to Saturday (10am to 5pm) and Sunday (2pm to 5pm). Admission is free. For further information telephone 0116 255 4100.
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• THE SOLDIERS OF GLOUCESTERSHIRE MUSEUM is located at Custom House, Gloucester Docks, Gloucester. - by road follow the brown signs to the Historic Docks - by bus and train 10 minutes walk from bus and rail stations. There are facilities for disabled people.
  It portrays the 300-year history of the Glosters and the Gloucestershire Hussars without the usual glass-topped cases of medals and memorabilia. The story is told in sequence of the "glorious" events from 1694 to the present-day activities with United Nations in Kosova. Battles are recounted in a fascinating way, including the rearguard action at Alexandria in Egypt (the regimental badge is of course the Sphynx over EGYPT) in 1801, Imjin River during the Korean War and there are special exhibitions including one covering National Service. There is a Special Exhibition - The Boer War 1899 to 1902 - which tells of the Gloucestershire's part therein.
  The Museum is open Tuesday to Sunday 10am - 5.00pm and Mondays in June to September. Admission charges are £4 for adults, (concession £3), £2 for children (Under 5's FREE) and a Family Ticket is available at £10.50. Telephone number 01452-522682.
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• The Royal Air Force Museum, Britain's National Museum of Aviation, celebrates the story of aviation from before the Wright Brothers to the RAF of the 21st Century with one of the world's finest collections of legendary aircraft and associated exhibits. The RAF Museum was opened in November 1972 by Her Majesty The Queen. Celebrating its 25th Anniversary, the Museum's website was opened by His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh in November 1997. The Museum stands on 15 acres of the historic former Hendon Aerodrome at RAF Hendon, one of the oldest aviation centres in the country. It was home to the famous Hendon Air Displays and RAF Pageants of the 1920s and '30s and the airfield was used as a fighter station during the Battle of Britain and then as a transport station for the remainder of World War II. The Museum exists to preserve, conserve and exhibit the history of the Royal Air Force and its relationship with aviation. It aims to promote the public's understanding of the role and achievements of the Royal Air Force for the benefit of future generations.
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• The Loughborough War Memorial Museum is at The Carillon Tower, Queen's Park, Loughborough. The idea for this building was prompted by the carillons of Flanders and is a memorial to the men of the town who died in WWI. The whole of the ground floor houses a collection of wartime memorabilia given by the townsfolk. The first floor houses the Leicestershire Yeomanry Collection and the third floor contains collections pertinent to The Airborne Division. There is a 47-bell carillon in the Tower and frequent recitals take place during the year.
  Open from Easter until the end of September, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday from 1pm to 5pm and Thursday and Saturday 10am to 5pm. Access for the Disabled is extremely limited as the upper floors are reached by means of a spiral staircase. There is an Admission Charge. The nearest car parking is 500m away.
  Telephone - 01509 263151.
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• In the setting of His Grace the Duke of Rutland's Belvoir Castle, near Melton Mowbray is The Queen's Royal Lancers Museum. Here one finds the story of the Regiment from its 18th century origins to the present time with all the memorabilia, medals, uniforms, weapons, paintings and prints from those many Cavalry Regiments and Units which, amalgamated, form the present Regiment.
  Open from March until October every day (except Monday and Friday) from 11am to 5pm. Open on Sundays only during October. Also open at other times by prior arrangement. Telephone 01159 573295. Admission Charge is included in the charge for admission to Belvoir Castle itself. Access for the Disabled in wheelchairs is difficult - the Museum is entered via a steep flight of stairs. There are Toilet facilities, and Refreshments are available also.
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• Much more than just a museum of exhibits and attractions there is The Bugle Major Restaurant, a picnic area in landscaped grounds, the peaceful Memorial Garden and a Souvenir Shop. Located directly across from the Beach at Southsea, Hampshire PO4 9PX you are assured of a warm welcome at the Royal Marines Museum. Described as "a trip through time" which you can experience and detailing everything from the founding in 1664 right up to the Falklands. There are over 7,000 medals, tableaux, artefacts, weapons, interactive displays, computer and audio-visual technology which really brings this history to life.
  Access:
  By car is via the A3(M) from London, A33 from Winchester, M27 from Southampton or A27 from Brighton - follow signs for SOUTHSEA on A2030 and head towards the seafront from which the Museum is signposted.
  By rail - Portsmouth Harbour, Portsmouth & Southsea or Fratton Stations then by 'bus or taxi.
  By 'bus provisionally from the Spring Bank Holiday weekend to early September, the Open Top Service #70 runs along the seafront near the Museum every 15 minutes.
  The Museum is open 7 days a week, all year (except for a few days over Christmas and in exceptional circumstances):
  Whitsun to August 10am - 5pm
  September to May 10am - 4.30pm
  Telephone: 01705 819385.
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• You can experience the reality of being in a WWII submarine at the unique Royal Navy Submarine Museum by actually climbing aboard one. You can trace the history from the age of Alexander the Great to the nuclear powered Vanguard class vessel of the present day via a film show, a tour of HMS Alliance, see the Navy's first submarine Holland 1, have a picnic by LR3 (a deep-submergence rescue submarine) and touch torpedoes, guns and missiles. You can sweep the panorama of Portsmouth Harbour through the periscopes of HMS Conqueror (of Falklands War fame) and visit the special Remembrance Corner.
  This Museum also has a Gift Shop, offers free parking and the Jolly Roger Café
  Located at Haslar Jetty Road, Gosport, Hampshire PO12 2AS - M27 to Junction 11. Follow A32 through Gosport, pass the Gosport Ferry and turn left at the Public House. Follow Haslar Road, over Haslar Bridge - the Museum Car Park is 2nd left.
  Telephone 01705 529217 - the Opening Times are: Daily (except 24 December - 1 January)
  April-October 10am - 5.30pm
  November-March 10am - 4.30pm
  They are available on e-mail: rnsubs@submarine-museum.demon.co.uk
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• Located at Hangar 600, Bournemouth International Airport Christchurch, Dorset BH23 6SE the ex-Military vintage jet aircraft are not just on static display but flying at an operational base where the public may view them. Weather permiting the Hunter, Vampire, Meteor, Jet Provost and Venom are airborne. The engineering factilities and restoration and maintenance departments are also on view. There is a Museum Shop and a Restroom with refreshments and a picnic area.
  Opening hours:
  April-September 10am - 5pm
  October-March 10am - 4pm.
  Entrance Prices:
  Adult £4. Child £2. Family £10. Under 7 free. Senior Citizens £3. Disabled (including carer) £3. Groups by prior arrangement and likewise School and Educational visits. There is free car parking.
  Telephone: 01202 580858.
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• The Royal Air Force Museum Cosford can be contacted by e-mail cosford@rafmuseum.org.uk prior to any planned visit. Located at Cosford, Shifnal, Shropshire TF11 8UP it is described as The Aerospace Museum of the West Midlands and offers you the chance to see over 80 historic aircraft which are displayed in 3 fully-heated wartime hangars on an active airfield. The collection spans 90 years of aviation history from the initial Channel crossing (1909) to Polaris our nuclear deterrent.
  There you will see the famous Spitfire, Mosquito, Liberator and Lincoln along with British, American, German and Japanese WWII aircraft and the Vulcan, Victor and Venom. There is also an aero engine collection and a Missile collection. The British Airways Hall gives you the opportunity to study our National aviation heritage from 1919 until now and there are refreshments in the Aviator Restaurant and many items available in the Museum Shop.
  There are facilities for the disabled, a large free car park and picnic areas.
  The Museum is open: Daily 10am - 6pm every day except Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.
  From the south leave the M6 at Junction 10a
  From the north leave the M6 at Junction 12 and follow the A5 west
  By train go to Cosford Halt.
  Telephone: 01902 376200.
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• Thiepval is the largest and one of the most emotive memorials to the missing from any war in which this country's soldiers have died. Erected in France it stands 150ft tall and can be found on the D73 off the main Bapaume to Albert road (D929) 5 miles north-east of Albert, 2½ miles south of Beaucourt-Hamel. There have been many visitors to the memorial and many of them are displaying on the Internet their photographs of the site, the surrounding territory, the Roll of Honour and the stories of the servicemen killed in the battle. A Web search for THIEPVAL will reveal the URLs of scores of relevant web pages in addition to the official coverage accessed from the hypertext link which opens this paragraph.
  His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent KG GCMG GCVO ADC (one of the Patrons of the Thiepval Project) announced in November 2000, when he visited the site, the proposals for a Visitors' Centre there. The British Government and the French have each promised to contribute towards the required funding of £900,000 and a further sum may be forthcoming from EU funding.
  If you wish to help with the financing please write to The Thiepval Project, Charities Aid Foundation Trust Department, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent, ME19 4TA.
  
  Located about 1km north-east of the village of Kinoulton, Nottinghamshire (NGR SK668313) is the now derelict Vimy Ridge Farm. Access to its approach avenue can be obtained from the recently well surfaced Nottingham-Grantham Canal towpath. A signboard at the junction of the towpath where it crosses a metalled bridleway reads:-
  "……….The original avenue of 184 Lombardy poplar trees were planted by Sir William Jesse Hind and dedicated to the memory of his son Lt. Francis Montagu Hind who was killed in action at the Battle of the Somme on 27th September 1916.
  The trees also commemorate the 187 other officers and men of the 9th Battalion The Sherwood Foresters Regiment who died between 7th July (when the battalion entered the battle) and 30th November 1916 (the official end of the battle).
  The line of trees so reminiscent of those to be seen in northern France lead up to a group of buildings Vimy Ridge Farm, previously known as Pasture Hill Farm, which was renamed by Sir Jesse after he purchased the property in 1919. The farm was used to train ex-servicemen in agriculture after their return from the war and later to train orphan boys to help them find employment.
  Lt. Francis Montagu (Monty) Hind was born in Nottingham on 16th January 1893. He was wounded at Sulva Bay, Gallipoli in 1915 and was aged 23 on his death. His name can be found on the memorial at Thiepval in France which commemorates the 73,077 officers and men who lost their lives during the Battle of the Somme and who have no known graves……………"
  Kinoulton Parish Council commissioned the replanting of the poplar trees to recreate the original avenue and to mark the village Millennium celebrations and much work was in progress when the following photographs were taken on 20th November 2000.
  Your Webmaster has visited the location and photographs and further detail are to be found on the Melton Mowbray Twinning Association Website.
  
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• Amberley Museum set in 36 acres in the midst of the beautiful South Downs in West Sussex is next to Amberley railway station in the Arun River valley, not far from the historic town of Arundel. With its historic buildings, working exhibits and demonstrations the Museum aims to show how science, technology and industry have affected peoples' lives.
  One of the many exhibitions includes telegraph, radio and telephone equipment with domestic and military applications, including clandestine sets from World War Two. A wide variety of television sets and video recorders are on display, with early television sets demonstrated from time to time. The vintage shack in the display is dedicated to the pioneer amateur, with a colourful background of QSL cards, which are exchanged by operators to confirm contacts. Opposite is a modern amateur station (call sign GB2CPM), which operates when volunteers are available, and contacts are made with other radio amateurs all over the world. The museum library houses a unique archive of log books and photographs from well-known radio amateurs.
  Season runs from 14th March to 4th November, Wednesdays to Sundays 10:00 - 6:00 with last entry at 5:00.
  Also Bank holiday Monday 7th May and daily during school holidays, as follows:
  Easter: Wed 4 April - Sun 22 April
  Half term: Wed 23 May - Sun 3 June
  Summer: Wed 18 July - Sun 9 Sept
  Half term: Wed 24 Oct - Sun 4 Nov
  Admission: Adult: £6.50 Over 60: £5.80
  Child: £3.50
  Family: £18.00
  Disabled access: All exhibit areas are accessible for wheelchairs, with exceptions being the nature trails. There is a purpose-built railway coach for wheelchair users. There are disabled toilet facilities and a large text guide sheet is available on request.
  For further information, please either:
  • Telephone - 01798-831370
  • Fax - 01798-831831
  • Write to: Amberley Museum, Amberley, Arundel, West Sussex. BN18 9LT
  • or E-mail : office@amberleymuseum.co.uk
  
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• THE MUSEUM OF SUBMARINE TELEGRAPHY is the centre for the history of international telegraph communications and is the heritage site of CABLE & WIRELESS.
  The website enables you to explore the Museum of Submarine Telegraphy, visit the Cable & Wireless historical archives, search their Collections Database, see many photographs of equipment, leave messages for C&W "exiles", and much more: the Links Page is of especial interest, containing as it does links to many fascinating "telecomms" websites and data.
  The Museum is to be found at Porthcurno which is situated just three miles away from Land's End, the most south-westerly point of England, in Cornwall.
  If you are driving, from Penzance, head towards Land's End on the A30. Follow the signs "Wartime Telegraph Museum" and "Minack Theatre". Past St Buryan, take left turn to Porthcurno. Park at the main car park at the bottom of the hill. Disabled car park available closer to the museum.
  By public transport :
  Take the bus 1 "Land's End - Porthcurno" from Penzance bus station. The bus stops in front of the car park.
  Museum opening times
  The Museum of Submarine Telegraphy is open :
  
  • From 01 April 2001 - 26 October 2001 : Sunday - Friday and Bank Holiday Saturdays, 10 am - 5 pm (last admission at 4 pm)
  
  
  • July & August :7 days a week, 10 am - 5 pm
  
  
  • From 29 October 2001 until March 2002: Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays, 10am - 5pm
  
  The museum will be closed from 18 December 2001 to 7 January 2002.
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• The RAF Signals Museum is based at RAF Henlow, Bedfordshire and is open to visitors ONLY BY APPOINTMENT - the website therefore is the first contact point and is growing in content and information.
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• The Keep Military Museum, Bridport Road, Dorchester dates from 1870 when it was built as an armoury for the Dorsetshire Regimental Depôt and Training Centre. It now forms the repository for items of The Queen's Own Dorset Yeomanry, The Royal Devon Yeomanry, and The Devonshire Regiment, the Dorsetshire Regiment and The Devonshire and Dorset Regiment (following the 1958 amalgamation). Medals (including 4 Victoria Crosses), uniforms, weapons, paintings, a "Jungle Display" showing the Burma theatre 1941-45 and the campaigns of Kenya and Malaysia are part of the attraction.
  Opening times are Monday-Saturday 09.30 to 17.00, Sunday (July and August only) 10.00 to 16.00.
  Admission is £3 for adults, £2 for Senior Citizens and children and students, a Family Ticket (for 2 adults and 3 children) costs £9.
  Regimental Association and serving personnel of constituent Regiments are admitted free of charge.
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• The Royal Navy Museum of Communications and Radar is based within HMS Collingwood located at Fareham. The Collingwood Museum was primarily established to preserve examples of 20th Century Communication, Radar and the associated test equipment as used in the Royal Navy. Over the years the museum has been expanded to house captured German, Japanese and Russian Military equipment and additionally commercial domestic radios.
  The Museum is sited in HMS Collingwood and can be found on the Lee on Solent Road, south of Fareham, Hampshire after leaving the M27 at junction 11.
  Visits to the Museum are by appointment only and can be arranged through: Lt Cdr W E Legg (Rtd) on 01329 332535 (Mondays only) or 01329 286262 (home) or by Email raymond-mclean@lineone.net
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• The Museum of Army Flying honours the famous Glider Pilot Regiment one of the units of WWII. Large-scale operations including the invasion of Sicily in 1943 and the later invasion of Normandy and the Rhine crossing saw gliders much in evidence. On display, amongst an impressive collection of wartime photographs, are the Horsa, Hotspur and Hamilcar gliders as well as the US Waco which was also used by the British Army.
  The Museum is located at Middle Wallop on the A343 between Andover and Salisbury, and is open daily from 10:00 to 16:30. Admission is £5 for adults (£4 concessions) and £3.50 for children.
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• The Royal Air Force Air Defence Radar Museum is routinely open on the second Saturday of the month and each Bank Holiday Monday from 1000hrs to 1700hrs (last entry 1500hrs). From Easter to the end of September, it is also open every Tuesday. Visits for organised groups can also be arranged outside these times. Admission is £3.00 for adults and £2.00 for children (under 11s free when accompanied by an adult). Average visit lasts around 2 hours.
  Unfortunately, as the Museum is housed within an old Operations Room environment, there are a number of steep stairways and narrow steps; there is limited wheelchair access.
  Group Visits may be arranged outside the stated times, i.e. weekday evenings. Please contact:-
  The Museum Manager, Air Defence Radar Museum, Royal Air Force Neatishead, Norwich, Norfolk NR12 8YB
  Tel: 01692-633309.
  The Museum, situated at RAF Neatishead, was opened in October 1994. It is a Registered Charity and traces the history and development of Air Defence Radar during the period 1935 to 1993. It includes Command and Control of Ground based and Airborne Radar Systems, WWII Operations at home and overseas, Surface to Air Missiles, Radar Engineering, Communications Systems, the development of detection from sound to modern computerised Radar systems, Air Intelligence Photography, Space Surveillance and Defence. Housed in the original Operations Building at Royal Air Force Neatishead near Horning in Norfolk, the current features include Battle of Britain Operations, an accurate recreation of a 1942 GCI operations Room, the original "Cold War" Ops room used until 1993 and many other exhibits.
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• The Fovant Badges are military badges carved into the chalk of downland along the A30 near Fovant in Wiltshire and are part of the national heritage, even scheduled as an Ancient Monument. They include our coveted "Jimmy" and the Australian Imperial Force badge - 200ft in size in some cases! The first ones were hand-dug by soldiers training nearby in 1916-18 and our capbadge was added in 1970. Maintenance of these historic items is inevitably a financial burden and even with a £70,000 Heritage Lottery Fund grant there is the need for an ongoing fund-raising effort for future maintenance.
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• The Newark Air Museum justifiably boasts "60 aircraft and cockpits from across the history of aviation extensive under cover displays of aircraft as well as artefacts and aero engines" but there is much more to see and enjoy in this Museum which celebrated 30 years of official public opening in 2003. They have a large souvenir shop and café and the site has easy access from the A1, A46, A17, A1133 and is open every day (except 24, 25 and 26 December) from 10:00 such is the dedication of its stalwart band of volunteers.
  There are of course admission charges - currently:
  
  • Adults £4.25 (over 60s £3.50)
  • Children £2.50
  • Family Ticket (2 Adults & 2 Children) £11.50
  • Special rates for the disabled, students, UB40 holders and parties of 10+
  There is a regular programme of special events - published on the website - and many activities.
  To contact Newark Air Museum, The Airfield, Winthorpe, Newark, Nottinghamshire NG24 2NY you can e-mail newarkair@lineone.net or telephone 01636 707170
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• The Holocaust Centre comprises a Museum and Gardens open to the general public and houses a permanent exhibition on the Holocaust detailing the unfolding of the history of "the Final Solution" and the memorial gardens provide places for quiet reflection. There is a library which visitors are encouraged to use and where they may watch short films relative to the Holocaust as well as later acts of genocide. Guest speakers also attend and there is a Bookshop as well as a garden café.
  The Holocaust Centre is located at Laxton, near Ollerton, Nottinghamshire, NG22 ØPA. Telephone 01623 - 836627 or Email: office@bethshalom.com
  
  PUBLIC OPENING
  January - November 2003 Wednesday-Sunday 10am to 5pm
  August - open daily
  Survivor Speakers Sat & Sun at 2pm (August only)

  Price: £6 Adults, £4 Concessions.

  The Centre's exhibitions and films are not recommended for children under 12. Parents or carers wishing to bring younger children to view these may do so at their own discretion. Children must be closely supervised at all times.
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• The Orkney Wireless Museum is located facing the harbour at Kiln Corner, Junction Road, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1LB. The Museum is a private Charitable Trust and voluntarily run (Museum and Galleries Commission Reg. No. 460 and Recognised Scottish Charities No. SC 002982). Originally the collection of James MacDonald (who died in 1988 aged 61) the items of civilian and military wireless equipment became the basis for the exhibits now on display.
  Annually the members of the Museum air the Special Event Station GB2OWM on the anniversary of Marconi's birthday in April and also during Orkney's regular Science Festival in September. For further details contact Sandy Firth at sfirth@owm.org.uk.
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• On 12th May 2005 the Reflecting Scapa Flow website was opened to the public. There is still a lot of work to do and over the next few weeks a lot of information will be added, by June the number of changes will fall but the site will never be "complete" there will always be something new to add.
  From earliest times people have lived by its shores and sailed its waters. Once a Viking stronghold, it served as a base for the Royal Navy during two world wars.
  After the First World War, Cox and Danks introduced a new industry into Scapa Flow when they began raising some of the scuttled German Fleet. Most of this work was done between 1924 and 1939. Today the seven remaining German wrecks are very popular with visiting divers, and MV Guide with its remotely operated camera allows even non-swimmers to view the ships. Two other important British wrecks, HMS Royal Oak and HMS Vanguard, are designated as war graves and should not be dived upon.
  Amongst the many interesting links is: http://www.hmsroyaloak.co.uk/ a website dedicated to the 833 men who lost their lives on HMS Royal Oak.
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• THE BLACK WATCH REGIMENTAL MUSEUM is situated on the North Inch of Perth, at Balhousie Castle, Perth, Scotland.
  Opening times are:
  MAY to SEPTEMBER
  
  • Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. (Including Public Holidays) - (Except the last Saturday in June)
  
  OCTOBER to APRIL
  
  • Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. - (Closed 23 December to 4 January inclusive)
  
  OTHER TIMES
  
  • By appointment - Telephone 0131 310 8530.
  Donations to Museum Fund.
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• THE ROYAL ARTILLERY MUSEUM - FIREPOWER - The original Museum building close to the present site was burnt out in 1802 and the surviving artefacts housed in the Old Royal Military Academy on the edge of Woolwich Common. In 1820 the main collection was moved to the Rotunda, a Grade 1 Historic Building with a history all of its own, on the opposite side of Woolwich Common adjoining the military complex. More recently, April 2001, saw the return of much of the collection to the Royal Arsenal at the start of Firepower, the Royal Artillery Museum development. Find out more about the History of the Royal Arsenal, the buildings and developments today by visiting Firepower and the adjoining borough of Greenwich Heritage centre.
  The Museum is currently operating Summer Season Opening and is open:
  Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10:30am-5pm.
  Large pre-booked group bookings can also be made on other days by arrangement: please telephone 020 8855 7755 to book.
  ADMISSION PRICES
  
  Adult £5.00
  Child £2.50
  Concessions £4.50
  Family ticket for 4 (2 adults & 2 children or 1 adult & 3 children £12
  Special prices for groups (10 people or more) or a choice of either building also available on request.
  There is fully disabled access to the Museum and a disabled car park close by the front door. Wheel chairs (2) available on request.
  PRE-BOOKED GROUPS Admission is discounted.
  TRAVELLING TO FIREPOWER is very easy:-
  Train - Woolwich Arsenal from Cannon Street, Charing Cross, Waterloo East and London Bridge, or Victoria with a single change. Direct East Kent services from Dartford and elsewhere. Five minute, signposted walk from Woolwich Arsenal to Firepower. Click here for Train times National Rail Enquiries or telephone 08457 48 49 50
  Bus – Bus routes 472, 161,96, 180 stop in Plumstead Road outside the Royal Arsenal. Bus routes 53,54, 422, 380 stop in Woolwich town centre.
  London Buses journey planner
  Tube – Jubilee Line to North Greenwich, then 15 minute bus ride to Woolwich (161, 422, 472) to stops A & B.
  Tube planner
  The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) station plans to open in 2009, and CrossRail a few years later.
  Road Car or coach – There is ample coach and free car parking at Firepower, just following the direction arrows. Be sure to park in the correct bays and display a free permit obtainable from Museum Reception.
  Walking - Visitors can access the Museum by walking from Plumstead Road/Market Square, through No 1 Street towards the River Thames. The Museum is on the right after the crossroads.
  Mike, M1CCF and Lawrie, G4FAA, together with members of the Vintage Operating Group (MØVOG) operate regularly during school holidays and at other times by arrangement. The Museum station call is GB2RA and a number of special calls have been operated such as GB150VC (Victoria Cross), GB2FR (Falklands Remembered) with the help of CVRS, Cray Valley Radio Club.
  There are two separate stations on HF (80-10 metres) and VHF (6 and 2 metres). QSL via G4DFI. (or Mike above) Where possible military vintage equipment is used from the surrounding display of vintage kit, often on AM, (12-R107/19/22/C11-R210/C13/PRC320/Syncal30), but electrically the area is very noisy so more modern kit, and SSB, is often more appropriate.
  Give Mike or Lawrie a call before coming, if you can, and we will meet you there.
  Finally if you are ex-RA we are ALWAYS on the look out for display items of any sort, with photographs of kit and equipment actually in use, a high priority.

• HMS Collingwood Museum of Communications and Radar was primarily established to preserve examples of 20th Century Communication, Radar and the associated test equipment as used in the Royal Navy. Over the years the Museum has been expanded to house captured German, Japanese and Russian Military equipment and additionally commercial domestic radios. Much of the equipment is maintained in a working state.
  The Museum has a large Library of Royal Naval and commercial Communications publications and will normally provide details of ship equipment fits upon request to the curator.
  The Museum is sited in HMS Collingwood and can be found on the Lee on Solent Road, south of Fareham, Hampshire after leaving the M27 at junction 11.
  Visits to the Museum are welcomed but as HMS Collingwood is an active and busy Naval base appointments need to be made in advance and can easily be arranged through
  Lt Cdr W E Legg (Rtd) on 01329 332535 (Mondays only).