Imperial War Museum, London
The wars of the twentieth century have affected each and every one of us in some way, and the Imperial War Museum is here to tell all our stories, covering all aspects of life in wartime. A major exhibition Women and War opened in October 2003 and runs until April 2004. The Museum is not only at its main London location but also at its three further branches: the Cabinet War Rooms in Whitehall, the historic ship HMS Belfast, moored in London, and Duxford Airfield near Cambridge in Cambridgeshire.Taking as its starting point the turbulent political scene in Europe immediately after the First World War, the exhibition traces the rise of the Nazi party, how antisemitism as a Europe-wide phenomenon made a fertile seedbed for Hitler’s anti-Jewish beliefs, the perversion of science to support Nazi race theory, the isolation of German Jews, the refugee crisis and the advent of so-called ‘Euthanasia’ policies in 1939.
This London branch of the Imperial War Museum houses exhibits ranging from tanks and aircraft to photographs and personal letters; they include film and sound recordings, and some of the 20th century’s best-known paintings. Visitors can explore six floors of exhibitions and displays, including a permanent exhibition dedicated to the holocaust and a changing programme of special temporary exhibitions.
History
Originally located inside the Imperial Institute (now Imperial College), the Imperial War Museum was moved temporarily to the Crystal Palace, located atop Sydenham Hill. The Museum was founded there in 1917 to commemorate those who had died in the First World War, even though the war had not yet been concluded. When that building burned down on 30 November 1936, a new location was found in Lambeth Road, Southwark.
Before Second World War the museum was housed in two adjacent galleries in South Kensington, this was not ideal and in 1936 the Duke of York reopened the museum in its current Lam beth home. During WW2 the museum was closed and numerous objects were evacuated outside London. After WW2 items were added to the collection and in 1953 the Museum’s terms of reference were extended to include all military operations with Britain and the Commonwealth had been involved with since 1914.
What’s Here:
The IWM concentrates on portraying the conflicts of the 20th century, and has a huge number of war-related exhibits on display. The aviation galleries includes a number of complete aircraft, several of which are hung from the roof in flying attitude. A wide of other aeronautical artefact’s and memorabilia can be seen, along with a number of cockpit sections. The museum regularly stages special events and exhibitions.
The museum is free to enter although for some selected special exhibitions there might be a admission charge. Immediately inside the front doors is a large hall filled with real military hardware from the last hundred years. Real tanks, artillery pieces and cannons, from the high ceilings they’ve hung fighter planes from World War’s 1 and 2 including bi-planes, a Spitfire and the jet fighter that the Germans had developed and started using just as the Second World War was ending. Also on display are captured examples of the V1 and V2 rockets that Germans used to bomb London in 1945 and a Polaris nuclear missile from a British submarine.
Traveler Description:
A vast collection of weapons, vehicles, models, photos and film are reminders of Britain’s involvement and sacrifices during the wars of the 20th… more » A vast collection of weapons, vehicles, models, photos and film are reminders of Britain’s involvement and sacrifices during the wars of the 20th century.
