The Yser Panorama

Transcription

The Yser Panorama

ISSUE 02 APRIL 2009
17
Helmand: Faces of
Conflict
MAGAZINE
18
Heroes exhibition:
Stockholm
37
The new Duke of
Wellington’s Regiment
Museum
30
The Yser
Panorama
ICOMAM – the International Committee of Museums of
Arms and Military History - is an International Committee of
ICOM – the International Council of Museums.
It provides a forum for museums worldwide:
• To encourage scientific research about arms and
armour and military collections, both in specialised and
general museums and in military collections.
• To stimulate a proper, professional standard of collection
care, management, conservation and use in line with
internationally recognised good practice and ICOM
guidelines.
• To promote the highest standards in display and
interpretation.
• To encourage networking and partnerships between
museums and research the world over.
ICOMAM achieves its goal by holding triennial
congresses and intermediate symposia on relevant topics.
ICOMAM has over 260 members, representing museums
in more than 50 countries world-wide, including such
famous institutions as the Royal Armouries of Leeds, the
French Musée de l'Armée, the Metropolitan Museum of Art,
The Musée de l'Armée et d'Histoire Militaire in Brussels, the
Hofjagd- und Rüstkammer of Vienna, the Real Armeria of
Madrid, the Topkapi Sarayi Museum in Istanbul.
Membership has increased over the past ten years including
a larger share of museums outside of Europe and America.
Also some so-called Battlefield Museums are members of
this international contact group.
ICOMAM is directed by an International ruling body
called the Executive Board. The ICOMAM approach to the
conservation and study of relevant artefacts is scientific,
dispassionate, objective and humanistic. It aims to assess
the importance of weaponry in world history as a major
sociological phenomenon touching on all the aspects of
politics, economics and social behaviour including its
artistic spin-offs and its relationship with our cultural
heritage and its interpretation in the world today.
http://www.klm-mra.be/icomam/
© Individual authors, Institutions
and ICOMAM, 2009
Published by
in association with ICOMAM
Hawthorne Cottage
Moorfield Road
LEEDS
LS12 3SE
UK
[email protected]
Design by Dazeye
ICOM is the international organisation of museums and
museum professionals which is committed to the
conservation, continuation and communication to society of
the world's natural and cultural heritage, present and
future, tangible and intangible.
http://icom.museum/
14
Welcome to the second edition of
MAGAZINE – the newsletter of
ICOMAM, the International
Committee of Museums of Arms
and Military History, published to
inform members of its activities
and publicize these to the wider
world.
Since our first issue ICOMAM
has held its conference in Rio de
Janeiro where we were in the very
capable hands of Admiral
Armando Bittencourt. He and his
staff looked after us in superb
style enabling us to see their
wonderful collections, meet our
South American colleagues and
experience Brazil’s legendary
hospitality. We have included a
short photo essay of the
conference here.
As in the first issue we have a
mixture of material from news and
exhibitions to articles on objects
and displays. As we stated before
we hope to provide a forum for the
wider field of arms, armour and
military studies – to share ideas
and experiences and spread
information about what worked
and what did not. We hope you find
it useful and informative.
We welcome feedback and
comments and hope that you will
be inspired to contribute to the
next issue in September 2009.
Robert Douglas Smith
Ruth Rhynas Brown
EDITORS
22
32
Contents
News ......................04
Publications............19
04 The international conference
of ICOMAM, Rio de Janeiro,
August 2008
21 The book as weapon, publication
and exhibition, The Dutch Army
Museum, Delft
08 Restoration of the Royal Galliot at
the Naval Museum, Rio de Janeiro
09 The first ‘Victoria Cross for
Australia’
10 News from the National Maritime
Museum, Amsterdam,
The Netherlands
Articles ...................22
22 The military museum as an
advocate for peace
24 Le Musée militaire messager
de la paix
11 Großer Besuchererfolg im
Heeresgeschichtlichen Museum
in Wien
26 Collecting and organizing the
collections in the Army Museum
in Stockholm
12 War belongs in museums!
The Austrian Military Museum
28 Abroad with the Walkers – from
Rotherham to Rio de Janeiro
Exhibitions ..............14
30 The Yser panorama, in the Royal
Military Museum, Brussels
32 An Arctic sword
14 Exhibitions at the Dutch Army
Museum, Delft. Graveyard ofthe
Cold War. Photo-exposition of
Martin Roemers
15 The world’s ‘most beautiful’
firearms
16 Chienne de guerre! Les animaux
dans la Grande Guerre 1914-18
Musée royal de l’Armée et
d’Histoire Militaire, Bruxelles
17 Helmand: Faces of conflict,
National War Museum Scotland,
Edinburgh Castle
33 Who knew? Serendipitous
discoveries when cataloguing
a collection
35 Hermann Göring’s peaked cap
37 The new Duke of Wellington’s
Regiment Museum
43 The study collection of military
equipment at the Federal Office
for Defence Technology and
Procurement in Koblenz, Germany.
44 The Naseby Battlefield Project
18 Heroes: An exhibition from the
Army museum in Stockholm
ISSUE 02 MAGAZINE 3
News
Rio de Janeiro
The international conference
of ICOMAM, 25-29 August 2008,
in Rio de Janeiro organised by
Armando de Senna Bittencourt
3 The lecture hall
1 Piet de Gryse, Pauljac Verhoeven and Dirk Staat in front of
a Whitworth cannon
2 René Chartrand and Michel Litalien enjoy a quiet moment
during a hectic conference
4 MAGAZINE ISSUE 02
4 Ruth Brown giving her presentation
Top: 5 We were royally
looked after by our hosts,
the Brazilian Navy
Middle: 6 The partners
programme
Right: 7 The inner gateway of Copacabana Fort
ISSUE 02 MAGAZINE 5
News
8 The conference delegates
Above: 9 A musical welcome on our visit to
Santa Cruz Fortressa
Left: 10 The conference delegates in the
Military Museum Count of Linhares
6 MAGAZINE ISSUE 02
News
Left: 11 Roland Gaul, Christian
Braunstein and Piet de Gryse
Below: 12 The enormous Krupps
guns at Copacabana Fort
13 Our Brazilian Naval colleagues relaxing at the
end of conference banquet
14 The weather was not always perfect. Ruth Brown, Pauljac
Verhoeven and our host, Armando Bittencourt, in the courtyard of
the National Historic Museum
ISSUE 02 MAGAZINE 7
News
Restoration of the
Royal Galliot at the
Naval Museum,
Rio de Janeiro
8 MAGAZINE ISSUE 02
T
he restoration of the galliot in the Naval Museum in Rio
de Janeiro, reported in the last Magazine, is now
complete. Some of you were able to see her during the
ICOMAM visit to Rio last year and she now looks absolutely
splendid in her fully restored state.
Armando Bittencourt
[email protected]
News
The first ‘Victoria Cross
for Australia’
Nick Fletcher
Senior Curator, Military Heraldry and Technology at the Australian
War Memorial
O
n 22 January 2009, Trooper Mark Donaldson VC loaned
his newly awarded medal to the Australian War
Memorial for public display. Donaldson, who only a week
earlier had become the first Australian serviceman in
almost 40 years to be awarded the famous medal, was also
the first to receive it under the title of ‘The Victoria Cross for
Australia’, as part of the Australian system of honours and
awards. His was the first VC ever awarded to a member of
the Australian Army’s elite Special Air Service Regiment.
Memorial Director Steve Gower said at the presentation that
‘loaning his Victoria Cross to the Australian War Memorial
so soon after its presentation is an incredibly generous offer
and we are delighted to place it on public exhibition’. On 13
February, the VC and his other service medals were placed
on display in the Memorial’s Conflicts 1945 to today
galleries.
The Victoria Cross was awarded in recognition of Trooper
Donaldson’s heroic actions when his patrol was ambushed
in Oruzgan province, Afghanistan, on 2 September last year.
The citation for the medal reads, in part:
In the early stages of the ambush, Trooper Donaldson
reacted spontaneously to regain the initiative. He moved
rapidly between alternate positions of cover engaging the
enemy with 66mm and 84mm anti-armour weapons as well
as his M4 rifle. During an early stage of the enemy ambush,
he deliberately exposed himself to enemy fire in order to
draw attention to himself and thus away from wounded
soldiers. This selfless act alone bought enough time for
those wounded to be moved to relative safety.
As the ambushed vehicles manoeuvred to withdraw, with
the unwounded members of the patrol running alongside, a
severely wounded Afghan interpreter was accidentally left
behind.
Of his own volition and displaying complete disregard for
his own safety, Trooper Donaldson moved alone, on foot,
across approximately 80 metres of exposed ground to
recover the wounded interpreter. His movement, once
identified by the enemy, drew intense and accurate machine
gun fire from entrenched positions. Upon reaching the
wounded coalition force interpreter, Trooper Donaldson
picked him up and carried him back to the relative safety of
the vehicles then provided immediate first aid before
returning to the fight.
The patrol was ultimately able to disengage from the
action and withdraw with its wounded, all of whom survived.
As the citation concludes:
Trooper Mark Donaldson VC presents his medal to Australian War
Memorial Director Steve Gower (Photo AWM)
Trooper Donaldson’s actions on this day displayed
exceptional courage in circumstances of great peril. His
actions are of the highest accord and are in keeping with
the finest traditions of the Special Operations Command,
the Australian Army and the Australian Defence Force.
The Victoria Cross was instituted by Queen Victoria’s
Royal Warrant in 1856, and the first of the new medals were
presented by her in June 1857. These first 62 awards were
retrospective, for gallant actions by sailors and soldiers
during the Crimean War of 1854–56. Throughout its life, the
VC has been supplied by Hancocks and Co, Jewellers of
London. Famously, the medals are made using bronze taken
from Russian guns captured in the Crimea. These guns –
which still survive in the Royal Artillery Museum at
Woolwich Arsenal – appear to have originally been of
Chinese origin, and may have previously been captured by
the Russians. To date, 1,356 awards of the original ‘Imperial’
Victoria Cross have been made, the most recent being to
Corporal Bryan James Budd of the 3rd Battalion, The
Parachute Regiment. Budd’s award was made for his
ISSUE 02 MAGAZINE 9
News
Mark Donaldson’s
medals: The Victoria
Cross to Australia;
Australian Active Service
Medal with Clasp ‘ICAT’
(International Campaign
Against Terrorism);
Afghanistan Campaign
Medal; Australian
Defence Medal; NATO
Medal with Clasp ‘ISAF’
(International Security
Assistance Force)
(Photo AWM)
courageous actions during two separate engagements in
Helmand province, Afghanistan, in July and August 2006, the
second of which led to his death in action. Private Johnson
Beharry, of the 1st Battalion, Princess of Wales’s Royal
Regiment, who received the award in 2005, is the most
recent living recipient of the Imperial VC.
The Victoria Cross for Australia, instituted in 1991,
replaces the Imperial VC in the Australian system of
honours and awards. The reason for the change to the
historic medal was to allow Australians to remain eligible
for what is widely considered to be the world’s most
prestigious gallantry award. Since the VC, a British medal,
was not compatible with the new Australian system, Queen
Elizabeth II agreed to a new award. The medal itself is
completely unchanged, and is, in fact, a VC in everything but
name. It is still supplied by Hancocks, and each award is
News from the National
Maritime Museum, Amsterdam,
The Netherlands
Joost Schokkenbroek
I
n June 2008 ICOMAM member Dr Joost C.A.
Schokkenbroek, formerly Curator of Material Culture at
the National Maritime Museum Amsterdam, The
Netherlands, was appointed Chief Curator and Manager of
Academic Programs at this institution.
The museum is currently undergoing a major renovation.
This renovation will take several years. More news about the
re-opening of the museum – at present planned sometime
in 2010 or 2011 – will be provided in future issues of the
ICOMAM Magazine.
10 MAGAZINE ISSUE 02
individually approved by Her Majesty the Queen. Under a
similar system, the Victoria Cross of Canada was created in
1993 and the Victoria Cross for New Zealand in 1999. The
only other example of these Commonwealth awards so far
was made to Corporal Willie Apiata, of the New Zealand
SAS, in July 2007. This award was also for gallantry in
Afghanistan, in 2004.
It should be noted that the recent awards of the Victoria
Cross to Australia and the Victoria Cross to New Zealand are
not officially considered by the British Government to be
awards of the Victoria Cross. Rather they are awards unique
to the countries concerned. Australians, and many others,
will nevertheless consider Trooper Donaldson’s award to be
the latest in a long line which stretches back to Captain
(later Major General Sir) Neville Howse in South Africa in
1900. This means that 97 Australians have now been
News
Großer Besuchererfolg im Heeresgeschichtlichen
Museum in Wien
I
m Jahr 2008 strömten mehr als 126.000 Besucher durch
den Eingang des Heeresgeschichtlichen Museums in
Wien. Das bedeutete rund 30 Prozent Zuwachs im Vergleich
zum Vorjahr. Dieser Aufschwung stellt ein kräftiges Zeichen
für den gesteigerten Anklang dar, den die Darstellung der
österreichischen Heeres- und Marinegeschichte in der
Öffentlichkeit mittlerweile gefunden hat. Positive Auswirkungen waren auch bei den Verkaufsumsätzen in Museumsladen
und Museumscafé bemerkbar. Die Gründe für diesen Erfolg
sind vor allem in der Neuorganisation der Museumsstruktur,
einer effizienten Marketingstrategie und dem großen
Angebot an zahlreichen Veranstaltungen zu finden.
Treffen historischer Militärfahrzeuge im Juni 2008
Am 6. und 7. Juni 2009 präsentiert das
Heeresgeschichtliche Museum gemeinsam mit privaten
Ausstellern im Rahmen der Großveranstaltung „Auf Rädern
& Ketten“ eine Reihe historischer Militär-Oldtimer. Vom
Panzer bis zum Fahrrad und vom Jeep bis hin zum
Kranwagen wird alles geboten, was die Armeen seinerzeit
bewegte.
Feldlager, Artillerievorführungen, Schaukämpfe,
Mittelaltermarkt, Kinderprogramm und vieles mehr machen
am 11. und 12. Juli 2009 die Vergangenheit zu einem
spannenden Erlebnis. Unter dem Motto „Montur &
Pulverdampf“ geht es dann auf eine spektakuläre Zeitreise
durch sieben Jahrhunderte Militärgeschichte.
Sonderausstellung über Bulgarien im Ersten Weltkrieg
Die nächste Sonderausstellung im Heeresgeschichtlichen
Museum wird am 23. Juni 2009 eröffnet. Dabei steht die
Rolle Bulgariens im Ersten Weltkrieg im Zentrum der
Aufmerksamkeit. Die Schau ist in Kooperation mit dem
bulgarischen Armeemuseum geplant.
Contact: Heeresgeschichtliches Museum, Austrian
Military Museum, Arsenal, 1030 Wien, Austria
Phone: +43 (0)1 79561 10 Fax: +43 (0)1 79561 10 - 17707
E-Mail: [email protected]
Internet: www.hgm.or.at
ISSUE 02 MAGAZINE 11
News
War belongs in museums!
The Austrian Military Museum
The history of armies and warfare, of technology
and science and of art and architecture are
blended in a unique way in the Austrian Military
Museum in Vienna. It is located in the centre of
the Arsenal and was built according to the plans
of Ludwig Foerster and Theophil Hansen, who
anticipated the architectural style of the
Ringstraße.
T
oday the Austrian Military Museum, which is the oldest
museum in Vienna, displays the history of the Habsburg
Monarchy from the end of the 16th century to 1918 as well
as Austria’s destiny after the break-down of the Monarchy
until 1945. The military and naval past sets up the priority of
the permanent exhibition. The first part covers the Thirty
Years War, the Second Turkish Siege of Vienna as well as
the era of Prince Eugene of Savoy and Maria Theresa.
The rooms »Austria and Europe 1789 – 1866« are
reminiscent of the Napoleonic Wars (1792 – 1815), the time
of Archduke Charles and the era of Radetzky.
The third section of this spacious museum displays a
large number of objects representing the time of Emperor
Francis Joseph, the history of the Imperial Army and the
multi-ethnic empire consisting of eleven major nationalities
and a large number of ethnic minorities.
News
ˆ
Passing through a room commemorating the
assassination of Francis Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian
throne, in Sarajevo in 1914, the visitor enters the last two
rooms of this section, dealing with events of World War I and
the break-down of the Empire.
The permanent exhibition »Republic and Dictatorship«
illustrates the times of the inter-war years and World War II
up to the Second Republic.
Another section gives the visitor insight into 200 years of
Austrian naval history, from its beginnings to World War I,
its expeditions and discovery voyages to the dissolution of
the Austrian navy. One of the world’s largest collections of
gun barrels from seven centuries and the open-air
armoured tank museum give testimony of Austria’s
colourful past.
Currently the Austrian Military Museum in Vienna is
dedicating its new special exhibition to the theme of the
Prague Revolt (1968) and its effects on Austria during that
time. Special attention is given to the reaction of the
Austrian armed forces to the intervention in the
neighbouring Czech Slovakian Republic (CSSR) through
troops of the Warsaw Pact.
Commemorating the wars of 1809 there will be an
international symposium on 4 and 5 June 2009. Registration
is required. Contact: Ferdi Irmfried Wöber, E-Mail:
[email protected] , Phone: 0043 676 52 55 075, Fax: 0043
1 253 30 33 72 62, Internet:
www.ferdiwoeber.at/napoleonsymposium.
On 23 June there will be the opening ceremony of the
next temporary exhibition this year. Bulgaria and its role as
an ally during the First World War will be on display then.
Further information:
Heeresgeschichtliches Museum, Arsenal, 1030 Wien,
AUSTRIA
Phone: +43 1 79561-0, Fax: (+43 1) 79561 10-17707
E-Mail: [email protected],
Internet: www.hgm.or.at
Exhibitions
The Dutch Army Museum, Delft
Russia, Jerjomino. Old Russian armytrucks. (Photo: Martin Roemers)
Graveyard of the
Cold War
Photo-exposition of
Martin Roemers
I
n 2009 it is 20 years since the wall in Berlin came down.
The Army Museum remembers this with a special photoexhibition by Martin Roemers, in which we see the desolate
landscapes of the Cold War. The series of 60 pictures will
also be published in a book, by Mets&Schilt in Amsterdam.
The exhibition can be seen from the end of April till the end
of October, 2009.
Action Zone
Train yourself to go from soldier to general in 45 minutes!
In the interactive presentation Action Zone you experience
what it feels like to be a soldier. Get yourself into shape and
complete the mission. Permanent part of the exhibition.
(Photo Mike Bink)
Exhibitions
Dutch weapons from the
17th century
In the 17th century, the Netherlands was one of the most
important centres for the manufacture of hand-held
firearms; not only for personal use but also for export. The
arms industry in this period was an extremely profitable line
of business and many of Europe’s sovereigns found
considered Dutch pistols to be the highest quality.
The weapons are characterised by both the simplicity of
their design and their luxurious finishes, and were often
decorated with beautiful depictions of flowers, animals and
hunting scenes.
A specialism that developed mainly in Maastricht was
the manufacture of pistols with ivory stocks, of which the
Legermuseum currently has the largest collection in the
world.
Acquisition of the Century
The world’s ‘most
beautiful’ firearms
I
n 2006, the Army Museum acquired a unique collection of
historical hand-held firearms from the private collection of
Mr H. Visser (1923-2006). The collection of 700 firearms and
related objects gives a good idea of the scope and significance
of the Dutch arms industry between the 17th and 19th
centuries. And above all, each item is a traditionally crafted
product, an icon of pre-industrial design. It is, until now, the
single biggest purchase in the history of the Legermuseum,
and with this collection the museum can consider itself one
of the most important in the world in the field of antique
firearms. The world’s ‘most beautiful’ firearms can be
admired in the exhibition until 2010.
Together with the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, which had
already acquired part of the collection, the Legermuseum
has now purchased the entire collection of 17th century
firearms from Mr H. Visser. The collection has thereby been
added to the Rijkscollectie. The purchase was partly made
possible through the support of the Mondriaan Stichting, the
VSB Fund, the Rembrandt Society, the Dr Hendrik Muller’s
Vaderlandsch Fund and the M.A.O.C. Gravin van Bylandt
Stichting. It is the single biggest purchase in the history of
the Legermuseum.
Publication
A special publication containing wonderful photographs of
the collection is also available at the exhibition. This
exclusive book is available in the Legermuseum shop or
from the internet, www.legermuseum.nl.
Treasury for visitors
The collection on display consists of 700 different
objects, such as pistols with ivory stocks, muskets,
miniature weapons and beautifully carved powder
horns. One of the most exceptional pieces is the
pair of children’s flint pistols that King William III
received from his father as a gift for his tenth
birthday in 1827.
What is most striking are the exotic and
expensive materials embellishing many of these
objects, such as ivory, ebony, silver and
tortoiseshell. Moreover, a great many of the pieces
are fashioned with decorative curls and images.
Most of these weapons served as status symbols
for their owners and were not actually made to be
used in battle. The pieces are displayed in a
treasury-like environment.
Exhibitions
Chienne de guerre!
Les animaux dans la
Grande Guerre 1914-18
Exposition temporaire, Musée
royal de l’Armée et d’Histoire
militaire, Bruxelles
22 juin 2009–21 février 2010
D
ans le cadre du 90e anniversaire de la signature des
traités de paix, le Musée royal de l’Armée et d’Histoire
militaire propose en juin 2009 une vaste exposition retraçant
l’histoire des animaux dans la Grande Guerre. Malgré le
développement de nouvelles technologies appliquées au
combat, la « première guerre moderne » mobilisa aux côtés
des hommes un nombre considérable d’animaux. Les
chevaux servent de monture à la cavalerie et tractent les
lourdes pièces d’artillerie sur un terrain boueux et accidenté
à travers lequel les automobiles ne passent pas. Très
polyvalents, les chiens militaires tirent les mitrailleuses,
signalent l’approche des troupes ennemies, apportent vers
l’arrière des informations sur le déroulement des
opérations ou repèrent les blessés sur le champ de bataille.
Quand les lignes télégraphiques et téléphoniques sont hors
d’usage, les pigeons prennent le relais pour la transmission
des messages. Plus surprenant, les canaris préviennent de
la présence de gaz combustible lors du creusement des
mines de sape et les grillons, lorsqu’ils arrêtent de chanter,
annoncent les attaques au gaz asphyxiant. Leur présence
massive au sein des armées implique de nombreux
métiers : du travail quotidien des vétérinaires et des
maréchaux ferrants à celui plus insoupçonné d’artisans
militaires tels que les selliers et les charrons. Outre ces
aspects utilitaires, les
animaux sont de fidèles
compagnons qui permettent
aux soldats de tenir, de
s’accrocher à la vie. Certains
deviennent la mascotte d’un
bataillon ou d’un régiment à
laquelle tous prêtent une
attention particulière car elle
les protège de la mauvaise
fortune. Parallèlement, les
conditions de vie sur le front
provoquent la prolifération de
bêtes nuisibles (rats, poux,
puces, mouches, moustiques)
qui minent le moral du soldat.
La ration alimentaire de plus
en plus pauvre en protéine voit l’essor de la célèbre boîte de
corned beef ou amène le militaire à voler bétail et volaille
pour survivre. En Belgique occupée, les réquisitions
entraînent de graves conséquences sur l’agriculture et
l’élevage. La pénurie des produits d’origine animale oblige
les Belges à adapter leur menu et à user d’ersatz
alimentaires ou encore à modifier la mode vestimentaire.
Enfin, l’animal occupe une place prépondérante dans
l’histoire des représentations, tant dans les œuvres et les
objets artisanaux des soldats, que dans la propagande de
guerre. Nombre de monuments commémoratifs témoignent
encore du rôle essentiel des animaux dans le conflit.
Raconter, au travers de l’histoire des animaux, la guerre
des hommes, celle des combattants comme celle des civils,
voilà le concept de l’exposition. Destinée à un public familial,
elle présentera une riche sélection de pièces de collection
en laissant une grande part à
l’interactif pour permettre aux
jeunes comme aux moins jeunes
de découvrir ou redécouvrir la
Première Guerre mondiale sous un
angle original et parfois méconnu.
Information:
www.klm-mra.be +32 2 737 78 09
Helmand:
Faces of conflict
National War Museum Scotland,
Edinburgh Castle
27 February 2009–February 2010
A
new exhibition at the National War Museum offers a
penetrating insight into a modern conflict. Helmand:
Faces of Conflict features photographs by Robert Wilson,
war artist with Edinburgh’s 52 Infantry Brigade during their
time in Helmand province.
From faces of weary men returning from three weeks on
patrol to the dusty landscape of their surroundings, Wilson
captures the lives of soldiers and civilians with an unflinching
sense of intimacy. His photographs are strikingly different
from classic images of warfare, putting a human face on the
servicemen and women risking their lives on a daily basis.
The Brigade, which has its regional headquarters in
Edinburgh, wanted a lasting record of its experience in the
troubled southern Afghan province. The worlds of commercial advertising and modern warfare are poles apart, so
it was a surprise to Robert Wilson when he was approached
by the Brigade. In early 2008 the photographer, who is wellknown for his marketing campaigns for international brands
such as Nike and Guinness, found himself boarding an RAF
Tristar aircraft bound for Afghanistan.
52 Brigade were headquartered in Lashkar Gah and daily
patrols were conducted from the FOBs (Forward Operating
Bases). It was here that Robert managed to capture his
subjects with penetrating intimacy. His unrivalled access to
the men and women serving in Helmand has produced a
memorable photographic collection that erodes the sterile
remoteness with which most of us perceive modern warfare.
A book of Robert Wilson’s photographs, Helmand, has
been acclaimed for its impact and insight into life on the
front line. It will be available from the National War Museum
shop, priced £30.
National War Museum Scotland opening times
Monday to Sunday 9.30am to 6.00pm (1 Apr to 30 Sep);
9.30am to 5pm (1 Oct to 31 Mar)
Admission: The exhibition is free with admission to
Edinburgh Castle. Castle admission prices are currently
Adult £11.00, Child £5.50, Concessions £9.00.
Further information www.nms.ac.uk
Exhibitions
Heroes:
An exhibition from the Army
Museum in Stockholm
- There are some things that have to be done, even though it
is dangerous.
- Why is that?
- Because otherwise one is not a human being... just a
grubby little blot.
Conversation between Jonatan and Skorpan.
From The Brothers Lionheart (Bröderna Lejonhjärta),
Astrid Lindgren, 1973
Heroes – an exhibition about
courage
M
any of us have met the odd hero or two, and we read
about them in the newspapers. Heroes save folk in
distress or prevent disasters. There are everyday heroes,
superheroes, and many other types of hero. One man’s hero
may very well be another man’s villain.
One common definition of a ‘hero’ is someone who
carries out an action beyond what is expected, without
consideration of personal gain. But even here, people
disagree. One upper secondary class discussed this concept
during a philosophy class: is anything ever done without
consideration of personal gain? Given that you would feel
pretty awful if you failed to act in an emergency, then
personal gain is in fact a driving force for all action.
Whatever the conclusion about this, it is clear that we all
have different ideas about the word ‘hero’. Small children
cannot imagine any greater heroes than Mum and Dad. But
for the teenager, these former heroes are embarrassing
adults, and it is inconceivable that they were once our
heroes.
So how do you become a hero? Is it something you can
decide for yourself, or do other people decide? Once a hero,
always a hero? Or does the hero status have a time limit? Is
an external threat necessary to produce heroes? If so, does
this mean that a secure society without any danger cannot
produce heroes? Is the number of heroes in a society a
measure of the level of danger?
By posing questions about heroes, the Army museum in
Stockholm wants to awaken reflections about who is to be
called a hero, and why. The exhibition and the catalogue
contain different sections: Who is a hero? – Heroes must
act. – My hero – your villain. – Can soldiers be heroes? And
finally, Why do we need heroes? The catalogue contains
discussions from some authors about different aspect of
heroes and heroism and is in Swedish and English.
The exhibition is an exhibition for families and children
but we still discuss important questions. We ask questions
Exhibitions
Karl XII is used as a uniting symbol for extremist
nationalists.
During the beginning of the 1700’s the war hero was the
dominant ideal for the princes of Europe. Caesar and
Alexander the Great were the models. But a change in that
ideal could be felt as early as during the reign of Karl XII.
The peace hero, a guardian of humanism and citizens rights,
was introduced. The old war hero could now be described as
a murderer or a madman.
When Karl XII read a poem expressing these new ideas
he was said to have been so angry that he ripped up the
page he had read:
Destruction and murder followed in his wake.
His noble madness alarmed the whole world.
From a satire by Nicolas Boileau
A great adventurer
I
and the visitors discuss heroism and leave the museum in
loud conversations. This is, I believe, the aim of a museum –
to engage the audience – to make them into users and not
only visitors. Here are some labels from the exhibition.
Can you have heroes in war?
F
ormerly, a hero was the same as a distinguished warrior.
Honour and respect were won on the battlefield. Today
the concept of a war hero is being questioned. War is about
conflicts between people, almost always with many people
being killed or injured.
Even today soldiers are rewarded for showing bravery on
the battlefield. They are honoured as war heroes in their
home countries. But often, as after the Vietnam War, the
soldiers are met by a lack of understanding, a lack of
sympathy or a distance from the people around them.
In wartime civilian men and women also sacrifice
comforts voluntarily. They risk their lives to help those in
distress and to save the lives of other people.
When human rights are denied and people are
oppressed, a few people dare to stand up and resist. Human
Rights fighters refuse to stay silent. They direct the attention
of the surrounding environment to injustice and oppression
in spite of threats of violence.
n January 1920 in Vladivostok, Russia, Admiral Koltjak’s
White army capitulated.
There was a Swedish man in the army who had been
appointed Major-General. His name was Thord Ivar
Hallström. Hallström’s adventures had begun in South
Africa in 1897.He enlisted there in the forces of the British
Empire and changed his name to Ivor Thord-Gray. He proved
himself competent and took part in many campaigns.
Gray was an extraordinary adventurer and a brave
soldier. Besides being good at sports he was skilled in
languages and knowledgeable in the fields of archaeology
and geology. Gray served later on with both the French and
the Dutch and also fought for Pancho Villa in Mexico.
War hero, murderer or madman?
T
here was some resistance to the war policy of Karl XII,
particularly among the peasants in Sweden. Foreign
diplomats in Stockholm noted that there was not a great
deal of mourning over the king’s death – except among the
officers.
Ever since his death he has been honoured by others as
the hero king who fell on the ‘fields of Glory’. The image of
the king has varied through history. In modern day Sweden,
Exhibitions
When the First World War broke out Gray, as British
battalion commander, was sent to the Western front. There
he came into conflict with his superior, handed in his
resignation and left the trenches. He later fought in the
Russian civil war. He was promoted to Major-General, and
handsomely decorated before he was taken prisoner.
Incredibly, the Red Army Commander released Gray
from prison in Vladivostok. He eventually settled in the USA.
He earned a living there as a banker, became a World
champion in archery, and lectured in archaeology at 26
different universities.
Initiative saved lives
We got them all out alive, even though some of them were
injured and bleeding.
Ivan Tomovic, KFOR - the UN peacekeeping force in Kosovo
In the middle of March 2004 Kosovo is ravaged by riots.
An international KFOR force is in place. When the Swedish
soldier Ivan Tomovic goes out on a mission in civilian clothes
he is armed, even though this is against the rules. Thanks to
the pistol, he and his assistant manage to save the life of an
old woman. She is about to be stoned to death by an angry
mob. Together they get her to a safe place. Then the mob
turns on Tomovic. His clothes are torn to shreds, he is
knocked to the ground where he lies bleeding. He fires a
warning shot and manages to escape.
On 17 March a block of flats is surrounded by an angry
mob armed with weapons. Ivan Tomovic and Johan Timrén,
who are officers at the Brigade staff, apply as volunteers
together with seven others from the international KFOR
force. In spite of the danger to their lives, they try to
evacuate the residents. Grenades explode. A policeman is
shot. The KFOR soldiers are met with Molotov cocktails and
shooting when they try to save women and children. The
area is like a battlefield. But they manage to evacuate over a
hundred people. For their efforts on this occasion Tomovic
and Timrén are each awarded a medal.
The exhibition will run from 14 February –
30 November and it is made as a travelling
exhibition. If you are interested in borrowing
this production please turn to the
Army museum. The design is very
colourful and made to be joyful
and a little hare guides the
youngest visitors. The
catalogue and or exhibition
can be ordered from the
Army Museum
Publications
Joan I Blaeu (1598-1673), Atlas maior (Amsterdam 1662-1665),
11 volumes (Collection Royal Navy Institute, Den Helder)
This rich inheritance gives us access to four hundred
years of military history. Many works - some by authors
whose writings have long since sunk into oblivion - contain
military knowledge in its archetypal form. The importance of
the printed book to military affairs emerges from the
original knowledge found in the professional literature as
well as from the rich military book culture.
Until the nineteenth century illustrations in books were
coloured by hand, mostly at the buyer’s special request. This
makes ‘coloured’ early printed books very special and
unexpected.
On 11 December 2008 the first copy of this book was
presented to the personal representative of Her Majesty the
Queen, Lieutenant General A.J.G.M. Blomjous, Chief Military
House of Her Majesty the Queen.
Catalogue
The Book as Weapon
Publication and exhibition,
The Dutch Army Museum,
until April 5, 2009
Exhibition accompanying the
catalogue of early printed books
of the Ministry of Defence
L
ouis Ph. Sloos. Warfare and the age of printing.
Catalogue of early printed books from before 1801 in
Dutch military collections. With 10.000 analytical
bibliographic descriptions. Leiden, Boston, Brill, 2008. 4
vols, in slip-case, 2008 pages, approx 2000 illustrations
ISBN 978 90 04 17241 8 (set). Designer: Bart de Haas
For more information www.armymuseum.nl
The catalogue can be ordered through www.brill.nl or
www.amazon.com
A
t the exhibition, The book as weapon which accompanies
the publication of the catalogue Warfare and the age of
printing. Catalogue of early printed books from before 1801
in Dutch military collections, the most colourful and oldest
works of the Ministry of Defence’s treasury of books are at
centre stage.
A significant part of the Dutch national treasure of early
printed books from before 1801 on military and related
subjects is kept in military libraries and collections. It took
eight years to trace and describe these books. This
catalogue contains 10,000 books in twelve different
languages dating from 1500 to 1800 from the following nine
different Defence institutions/collections:
- Royal Netherlands Army Museum, Delft
- Royal Netherlands Military Academy, Breda
- Netherlands Institute of Military History, The Hague
- Royal Netherlands Naval College, Den Helder
- Netherlands Defence College, Rijswijk
- Netherlands Cavalry Museum, Amersfoort
- Bronbeek Museum, Arnhem
- Netherlands Artillery Museum, ‘t Harde
- Engineers Museum, Vught
Michael Mieth (?-1686), Artilleriae recentior praxis. Oder neuere
Geschütz Beschreibung … (Frankfurt am Main, Leipzig 1684),
siege (Collection Army Museum, Delft)
Articles
The military museum as an advocate for peace
André Kirouac
museums could influence people by
conveying a pacifist message?
The Director of the Naval Museum
of Québec, André Kirouac, here
examines the role of military
museums as advocates for peace.
F
or millennia, humans have
conserved war-related objects.
Unfortunately, whether brought back
as trophies, souvenirs, or artefacts
with museum potential, these objects
that bear witness to conflict have had
no noticeable effect on the decision to
go to war. Has there ever been a
leader who chose not make war after
an object in a museum convinced him
of the cruelty of military conflicts and
their impact on humanity? Is it overly
idealistic to think that military
The military museum
Like any other museum, a military
museum collects and interprets
objects in order to show the course of
history and, in this case, the impact of
war. It is logical, if somewhat
idealistic, to conclude that the display
of military objects ought to raise the
awareness of the public and its
leaders and encourage them to
choose peace over war. Reflecting this
idea, ICOM’s definition of a museum
could be adapted to apply to military
museums: A military museum is a
non-profit, permanent institution,
which acquires, preserves,
researches, interprets and exhibits the
tangible and intangible evidence of
military history and serves society by
raising awareness of the impact of war
and of pacifist values.
A pacifist mission
One museum institution, the Mémorial
de Caen : Cité d’histoire pour la paix
[The Caen Memorial: A Museum for
Peace] in France is breaking new
ground with its pacifist mission. All the
actions of the Memorial are directed
towards the goal of peace and
reconciliation. These actions reflect
the museological foundations of the
Memorial and its mission to conserve
historical collections. Could the
Memorial’s pacifist mission be
adopted by all military museums?
In Canada, the Naval Museum of
Québec is also making an effort to
serve society by raising awareness of
The Heeresgeschichtliches
Museum, an Austrian military
museum located in Vienna, is
filled with statues of Austrian
war heroes that greet visitors
as they come in.
Le Musée militaire autrichien
Heeresgeschichtliches situé
à Vienne présente, dans son
grand hall, les statues des
héros du pays. Photo: André
Kirouac.
Articles
being told. Thus drawn in, the visitor
moves on to the third level, going
deeper into the war or the military
event and discovering its impact. If this
transformational process is
successful, the visitor will have a
better understanding both of the war
and of its various types of impact.
The interior court of the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England has been
covered by glass, which allows for an opening to the exterior.
La cour intérieure du National Maritime Museum à Greenwich (Angleterre) a été
recouverte d’une immense verrière qui confère à l’ensemble une ouverture sur l’extérieur.
Photo : André Kirouac.
the impact of war and the values of
peace. Early in 2008, the leadership of
the Naval Reserve of Canada, part of
the Canadian Forces and owner of the
museum, approved its mission, which
implies a desire to one day see the end
of war.
Transforming Military Exhibitions
In terms of exhibition design, it is
essential to establish a link between a
museum’s mission and what is
conveyed to its visitors. In Canada, as
in many other countries, exhibitions in
military museums, with few
exceptions, take the form of a cabinet
of curiosities. Assorted objects are
displayed to illustrate a particular
conflict or arranged chronologically.
Often, the objective is simply to show
the museum’s collections in a single,
and very lengthy, permanent
exhibition.
Liberating military museums from
this ossification will not be easy,
because it entails asking the people
who run them, often military men, to
change their way of thinking and their
museological approach. At the Naval
Museum of Québec, an exhibition can
be read on three levels. The entire
approach, from initial design to the
preparation of signage, is based on the
presentation of key objects that
epitomize the impact of war. A key
object is carefully chosen for its
potential to establish a link with one or
more people who were associated with
it. The visitor’s direct contact with the
key object is the first level of reading;
the written description of the
relationship between the witness and
the object constitutes the second level.
Through this relationship, the visitor
identifies with the witness and
becomes interested in the story that is
Turning the visitor towards peace
By viewing these key objects —
carefully selected tangible evidence —
and reading their related stories, the
visitor connects with the actors who
owned and used the objects. The
relationship between object and actor
allows the visitor to identify with the
actor, and to gain an understanding of
the significance of the object, the
actor, and, ultimately, the conflict
itself. This increased awareness of the
impact of a conflict should arouse a
desire for peace that will guide the
actions of the visitor towards this
objective in order to avoid war
whenever possible, as its
consequences are disastrous for
society. The military museum can be a
force for promoting peace among the
general population and its leaders. As
an institution that preserves the
tangible memory of wars, it has a duty
to make these objects bear witness
and to send a message from the
combatants: “No more wars!” Military
museums have a social responsibility
to work towards lasting peace. Nobody
would wish for wars in order to expand
their military collections. If we are
willing to acknowledge that, then we
must orient our actions towards a time
when there will no longer be a need to
collect, a time when there will be no
more wars.
André Kirouac has been the
Director of the Naval Museum of
Québec since 1997. For over 30 years,
he has worked in museums, both in
the Province of Quebec and in the
United States, that deal with naval or
maritime history. He also holds a
Masters degree in museology from the
University of Quebec at Montreal.
[email protected]
Articles
Le Musée militaire messager de la paix
André Kirouac
D
epuis des millénaires, l’humain
conserve les objets issus de ses
guerres. Toutefois, rapportés comme
prises de guerre, comme souvenirs
personnels ou comme objets
potentiellement muséologiques, les
objets témoins des guerres n’ont eu
aucun effet perceptible sur les
décisions relatives au déclenchement
ou non d’un conflit. Y a-t-il, un jour, un
dirigeant qui a choisi de ne pas aller
en guerre après avoir vu un objet de
musée qui lui a démontré la cruauté
des guerres et leurs impacts sur
l’humanité ? Serait-ce utopique de
penser que les musées militaires
pourraient un jour influencer les
peuples et les dirigeants avec des
messages pacifiques ? Le directeur du
Musée naval de Québec, André
Kirouac, examine ici le rôle des
musées militaires en tant que
messagers de la paix.
Le musée militaire
Pour un musée militaire, il est aussi
nécessaire que pour tout autre musée
de collectionner et d’interpréter les
objets afin de présenter le cours de
l’histoire et, dans ce cas, les impacts
des guerres. Il serait alors logique,
bien qu’utopique, de penser que
l’exposition d’objets militaires devrait
entraîner une conscientisation telle
que la population et ses dirigeants
choisiraient de faire la paix et non la
guerre. C’est ainsi, qu’en référence à
la définition du musée établie par le
Conseil international des musées
(ICOM), celle d’un musée militaire
pourrait prendre cette formulation : Le
musée militaire souhaite ultimement
n’acquérir que les témoins matériels
et immatériels militaires du passé, qui
les conserve et les communique à
l’humanité pour des fins de recherche
et d’éducation et qui sert la société en
la conscientisant aux enjeux et aux
impacts des guerres ainsi qu’aux
valeurs de paix.
The columned façade of the Imperial War Museum in London, with its classical
architecture makes a great backdrop for an impressive canon which greets visitors.
Un canon accueille les visiteurs devant l’Imperial War Museum à Londres (Angleterre).
Nul ne peut y entrer sans contourner ce symbole guerrier. Photo : André Kirouac.
Mission pacifique
Dans le monde muséal, une institution
en France, le Mémorial de Caen; Cité
de l’histoire pour la paix, fait oeuvre de
pionnier grâce à sa mission pacifique.
Toutes les actions du Mémorial sont
orientées vers l’objectif souhaité, soit
celui de paix et de réconciliation. Ces
actions représentent une réelle
volonté de souligner les fondements
muséologiques du Mémorial et sa
mission de conservation des
collections historiques. Cette mission
pacifique du Mémorial, peut elle être
généralisée à l’ensemble des musées
qui traitent de la question militaire ?
Au Canada, le Musée naval de Québec
tente aussi de servir la société en la
conscientisant aux impacts des
guerres et aux valeurs de paix. Au
début de l’année 2008, le
commandement de la Réserve navale
du Canada propriétaire du musée, une
entité des Forces canadiennes, a
entériné la mission du musée qui
implique le souhait de voir un jour la
disparition des guerres.
Mise en exposition transformée
Sur le plan de la mise en exposition, le
lien entre la mission du musée et sa
compréhension par le visiteur devient
primordial. Au Canada et dans
plusieurs pays, à quelques exceptions
près, la mise en exposition des
musées militaires tient souvent du
cabinet de curiosités. On retrouve ainsi
un étalage d’objets de toutes sortes
placés en fonction de la thématique
d’un conflit particulier ou regroupés
de manière chronologique. Souvent,
l’objectif est de montrer l’ensemble de
la collection du musée en une seule,
unique et très longue exposition
permanente. Libérer la muséologie
militaire de cette sclérose ne sera pas
facile, car la tâche éducative à
entreprendre demandera que les
responsables de ces musées, souvent
des militaires, acceptent une
transformation de leur façon de
penser en matière de muséologie. Le
Musée naval de Québec propose une
mise en exposition qui comporte trois
niveaux de lecture. L’ensemble de la
démarche, que ce soit du design de
l’exposition jusqu’à la rédaction des
cartels, repose sur la présentation
première d’un objet vedette qui illustre
le mieux les impacts d’une guerre. Cet
objet est choisi soigneusement selon
le lien entre l’objet potentiel et une ou
des personnes qui y sont associées.
Le simple contact avec l’objet vedette
est le premier niveau de lecture alors
que le récit qui décrit la relation entre
le témoin et l’objet constitue le
deuxième niveau de lecture. Le
visiteur, par cette mise en relation
avec l’objet, s’identifie au témoin et se
découvre un intérêt pour l’histoire que
l’on veut lui raconter. L’intérêt capté, le
visiteur est ensuite amené à, dans le
troisième niveau de lecture,
approfondir la guerre ou le fait
militaire en découvrant ses impacts. Si
la transformation est réussie, le
visiteur aura une meilleure
compréhension, à la fois d’une guerre
et de ses différents impacts.
Le visiteur tourné vers la paix
Devant les objets témoins
soigneusement sélectionnés, le
visiteur est mis en relation, par le biais
d’un récit historique, avec les acteurs
qui étaient en contact avec l’objet
présenté. La conjonction de la relation
objet et acteur(s) permet au visiteur de
s’identifier aux personnes et de
pénétrer dans l’histoire de l’objet, dans
celle de l’acteur et, ultimement, au
coeur de l’histoire. Cette plus grande
conscience des impacts d’un conflit
devrait susciter un désir de paix qui
orientera les décisions et les actions
du visiteur vers cet objectif pacifique
afin d’éviter le plus possible les
guerres, puisqu’elles génèrent des
conséquences désastreuses pour
toute la société. Le musée militaire
doit être un des acteurs de la
promotion de la paix auprès de la
population et de ses dirigeants. En
effet, c’est lui qui conserve la mémoire
tangible des guerres et c’est son
devoir de faire témoigner ses objets et
de transmettre le message des
combattants qui disent : « Plus jamais
la guerre. » Il incombe aux musées
militaires une responsabilité sociale,
celle de travailler à instaurer une paix
durable. Personne ne peut souhaiter
que les guerres perdurent afin de
poursuivre l’enrichissement des
collections militaires. Dans ce cas, il
faudra orienter nos actions vers
l’éventualité de ne plus avoir à
collectionner les objets d’un présent
ou d’un futur, faute de guerres !
André Kirouac est directeur du
Musée naval de Québec depuis 1997.
En plus de 30 ans, il a oeuvré dans des
musées, tant au Québec qu’aux ÉtatsUnis, qui traitent d’histoire navale et
maritime. Il est également détenteur
d’une maîtrise en muséologie de
l’Université du Québec à Montréal.
[email protected]
27 December 1944, a U-Boot crew is saved
by Canadian sailors. A German officer,
Peter Heisig, and a Canadian one,
Stanislas Déry, meet each other for the
first time. They will become friends for life.
27 décembre 1944, un équipage allemand
est sauvé des eaux par des marins
Canadiens. Un Allemand, Peter Heisig, et
un Canadien, Stanislas Déry, se
rencontrent. Ils resteront amis pour la vie.
Photo : Fonds Stanislas Déry; Musée naval
de Québec.
Articles
Collecting and organizing the collections in
the Army Museum in Stockholm
Eva-Sofi Ernstell
Director of the National Army Museum, Stockholm
T
he gate of fear. This short paper is
about the three most important
issues working with collections
–keywords, making an inventory and
identifying your UFOs.
We have just displayed a war-head
from the former Soviet Union. This
warhead could have been loaded with
power, bigger than the Hiroshima
bomb. It could have had Stockholm as
the target and it could have destroyed
the entire area within a radius of 100
kilometres. One of our missions is to
focus on the Cold War. This object
holds a lot of Cold War tension – even
though the missile was never
launched. The warhead symbolizes,
among other things, fear. This raises
questions. What should we collect?
Should we collect items that make us
remember episodes from history that
never happened? And should we
collect items that were used by foreign
armed forces? To me this answer is yes,
This warhead could have
been loaded with power,
bigger than the
Hiroshima bomb. It
could have had
Stockholm as the target
and it could have
destroyed the entire area
within a radius of 100
kilometres.
we should. We must keep in mind
ideas from previous periods in history,
even though they never were realized.
This item is not elegant or expensive
but carries a variety of feelings. It
makes us ask questions, it makes us
think and reflect. We don’t need every
such item but this single piece might
be enough to keep the cold war in
mind.
The 20th century, especially after
the Second World War, was a time of
uprooting. Military museums tend to
have collections of items that are very
big. Big in the sense of huge objects,
such as airplanes and tanks, but also
big meaning a great number of
objects. Such collections consist of
everything a society needs. Places to
live in, things to wear, systems for
cleaning water and preparing food,
machines and technical equipment for
the infrastructure, for example
building bridges, and information
technology and communication. To
understand our collections I use my
own keyword – FEAR. All our items
are made to control the fear. The
warhead mentioned earlier is a good
example of visualizing fear. Many of
our items are made out of fear for an
Articles
intruding enemy. If we search for
common denominators for all our
items - fear could be the connecting
word in our collection. Perhaps we can
find concepts to use as keywords or
filters when we collect instead of
collecting and classifying a specific
category. Let us say that fear plays an
important role when one organizes the
armed forces in a country. (Perhaps
fear plays an important role in society
all the time; we have fear of illness,
fear of death, fear of being unlucky
etc.) Out of the keyword fear we can
collect war heads from the Soviet
Union or items from the Swedish
armed forces, and we don’t necessary
need one of each kind. We need
examples to help us remember. One
key to collecting items can be to let
them pass through the ‘gate of fear’
and to use this gate as a collecting
filter. If it passes it is an item for our
museum weather it was used by the
Swedes or not.
We have more things in society
nowadays and we cannot possibly
collect one of each kind as in the 19th
century when many museums were
born. Finding keywords would be of
great help, and, I therefore ask all of
One key to collecting
items can be to let them
pass through the ‘gate of
fear’ and to use this gate
as a collecting filter.
you for such words. An international
network for collecting issues is getting
started called collectingnet where I
have raised my question as well as
now among my ICOMAM colleagues.
We don’t need 2000 pairs of boots to
understand the idea of a shoe – or do
we? Museums must take control over
the collections – get rid of unidentified
objects in the collections - make sure
the register works and make sure all
items are included. In the Army
Museum we started to take an
inventory at high speed, whereby all
museum objects were registered with
short facts and photograph. The
average speed was two hundred items
a day, as the purpose was to get a
quick overview. Fifteen persons
worked together – moved and
controlled and checked almost
100,000 objects. This was possible as
we got extra money to do this but also
through very strict work. We only did
what we had to do. If we had added
one minute extra to each object the
project would have needed an extra
eight months in the end. The UFO’s
are identified and can be seen at our
website www.armemuseum.se in
Swedish – but hopefully in English in
the near future. And now, knowing
what we have, we are more active in
collecting issues.
Articles
Abroad with the
Walkers - from
Rotherham to Rio de
Janeiro
Ruth Rhynas Brown
Independent scholar
I
n an article in our previous issue,
I discussed the home of the Walker
family of Rotherham, the most prolific
of English gunfounders in the late 18th
and early 19th centuries. By a happy
coincidence at the ICOMAM 2008
conference, when visiting a number of
the fortifications round Rio de Janeiro,
we discovered several of Walkers’
cannons, still guarding the harbours,
including four guns specially cast for
the Portuguese government as one of
Britain’s allies in the French
Revolutionary Wars.
The four Portuguese guns included
one 6 pounder, weighing 16? cwt, No
47 in the National Historical Museum,
Rio de Janeiro, and three others
outside Copacabana Fort: two 12
pounders of 7 feet 10 inches and one 6
Pounder, 6 feet 3 inches in length. All
the guns were based on the British
naval Blomefield pattern, with loops at
the cascables and all had a large
crowned badge of Portugal on the first
reinforce, cast in high relief. On the left
trunnion is the familiar WCo of Walker
and Company and the serial numbers
were engraved on the right.
The story of these guns in Rio
begins more than two hundred years
ago, in the early years of Great
Britain’s war against revolutionary
One of the 12 pounders at Copacabana Fort
The cannons outside the gate of Copacabana Fort
France. In July 1795 Lieutenant
Colonel Thomas Blomefield, Inspector
of Artillery at Woolwich, wrote to the
Board of Ordnance informing them
that the Yorkshire ironfounders of
Dawson and Co of Low Moor
ironworks were to cast iron guns for
the court of Portugal. This was a time
when Britain’s cast-iron industry led
the world and its government used
access to these powerful weapons as
a method of rewarding its allies,
including Portugal. In the early 1790s
Blomefield had been disappointed in
the performance Britain’s
ironfounders in their ability to cast his
newly designed naval guns and their
poor showing at proof. Thus he
suggested that other companies –
Wilkinson of Bersham, Wales, Carron
of Falkirk, Scotland and Sturges from
Yorkshire- should fulfil the gun
contract for Portugal, leaving Dawson,
along with the Walkers to cast guns for
the Royal Navy. Blomefield wrote
immediately to Dawson, ordering them
to give a larger share of the order to
Sturges, of Bowling ironworks,
situated in the outskirts of Bradford.
He also arranged for the draughts of
the guns to be made for them.
In August 1795, Blomefield called
on Count Almeida, the Portuguese
ambassador in London, accompanied
by the Wandsworth founder James
Henkell, who was acting as the agent
for Dawson to finalize the
arrangements for the order. Early in
September 1795 Blomefield sent
drawings of 24 and 18 pounders
“constructed according to the English
proportions, and the diameters of their
bores correspondent with the
dimensions laid down in the
Portuguese draughts” to Almeida for
his approval.
In October Blomefield wrote again
to Almeida, pointing out that the guns
ordered were considerably shorter
than the equivalent calibre in British
service, and suggesting that if the
Portuguese guns were lengthened,
then Dawson and Sturges could take
advantage of existing moulds which
“with trifling changes” could be used
to fulfil the contract more quickly.
By mid March 1796 Sturges’ first
guns, the 18 pounders, were ready for
proof at Woolwich when it was
discovered that the difference in
calibre between British and
Portuguese meant there was little
suitable shot which now had to be
ordered from Henkell, since the
English shot was too small and
captured French shot too large. The
first guns were successfully proofed
over the last half of the month and
Blomefield ordered them to be
shipped with the first available convoy
to Portugal.
Articles
In the meantime the first of
Dawson’s 24 Pounders were delivered
from Low Moor and these turned out
to be a disappointment: the loops on
the cascables were too small and the
crown on the badge too high;
Blomefield wrote that although they
were within acceptable limits, steps
would have to be taken to reduce the
crowns on the existing guns and
improvements made to future
castings.
By midsummer 1796 45 24
pounders and 43 18 pounders had
been successfully proofed at
Woolwich, with 4 guns rejected.
However Blomefield was not happy
with progress and he complained to
Dawson that one of the cannon’s
muzzles was too honeycombed to be
allowed through. Moreover after one of
Sturges’ 18 pounders burst at proof, it
was decided to give the rest of the
batch a more thorough trial. Closer
examination then revealed that some
of the guns from Bowling had hammer
marks in their bores.
Despite Blomefield’s
disappointments, the Court of
Portugal were impressed enough to
order a further batch of cast-iron
guns, this time for 24, 18 and 12
pounders for garrison or battery use.
The British needed further information
on the calibre of the 12 pounder to
have the drawings finalized. A detailed
drawing of the Portuguese arms were
made with instructions for its placing
on the barrel and sent to the founders.
Meanwhile the first guns were still
going through proof and the results
were sharply deteriorating. While
Dawson’s 24 pounders continued to go
through proof, Sturges’ 18 pounders
were frequently being rejected or
failing proof. Then in September,
Dawson’s 24 pounders were beginning
to fail at proof. Blomefield had to look
for new founders to fulfil for the
second contract; the garrison guns
were to be cast by Dawson, Carron and
Alexander Brodie of Calcuts,
Shropshire. Carron had cast guns for
the Board of Ordnance back in the
1760s, but following a number of
failures of ordnance for the Danish
The 6 pounder
The serial number
The arms of Portugal
East India Company, their guns had
been removed from service. They
managed to persuade the Navy to
accept their carronades during the
War of American Independence but
this was as far as they were allowed
back into the Ordnance’s good books.
This was now in the process of
changing and the Ordnance was once
more looking with favour on them.
Brodie had taken over an older gun
foundry and was only now entering the
gunfounding business. However again
the proof results were not promising;
between a quarter and a third of
Brodie’s guns failed and the results
got worse rather than better, and led
to his swift withdrawal from the gun
business.
When a third order from Portugal
arrived in 1799, only two companies
were left to cast the guns - Carron for
the carronades, and Walker for the 12,
9, 6 and 4 pounders. These were
proofed regularly through 1800 and it
is presumably this batch which the
guns we saw in Rio belonged to.
Walker and Company’s trunnion mark - W Co
However we still do not know how they
arrived at Rio; it would be fitting to
think they formed the armaments of
the Portuguese fleet which escorted
the Queen of Portugal and her family
when they escaped to Brazil following
the invasion of Portugal by the French.
The iron guns in Rio de Janeiro seem a
fitting symbol, reminding us of the
changing relations between Britain,
France, Portugal and Brazil, as well as
representing a little bit of Yorkshire at
Copacabana.
Bibliography
This article was based on records in
the Library of Royal Armouries, UK the Woolwich Proofbooks and the
Blomefield Letterbooks - and War
Office Papers in the National Archives,
Kew. I thank the staff of the
institutions for their help. I would also
like to thank Armando Bittencourt for
arranging our visits to the collections
in Rio de Janeiro during the ICOMAM
conference – this article is by way of a
thank-you letter.
Articles
Saving Belgium’s national heritage: The
Yser panorama by Alfred Bastien (1920/1)
in the Royal Military Museum, Brussels
Dr Natasja Peeters
I
n 1920/1, Alfred Bastien (1873-1955)
and his colleagues Charlie Léonard
(1894-1953) and Charles Swyncop
(1895-1970) undertook a huge project:
painting the Panorama of the Yser
Battle. This monumental work, 14
metres high and 120 metres long, was
painted in a cylindrical building in the
Jubilee Park. Bastien had valuable
experience in this type of undertaking,
as he had also painted the Panorama
of Congo for the 1913 World exhibition
and furthermore he had had first-hand
experience at the Belgian front as a
member of the Belgian Section
Artistique.1
The Panorama shows successive
episodes of the Yser battle, which was
fought along the Belgian coast from 16
to 31 October 1914. It was a true war
of attrition, with a large number of
casualties. Contrary to most other
panoramas, the painting is not a real
vista but a narrative over a two week
period. The Panorama’s key moment
is the opening of the locks at
Nieuwpoort on 30 October, causing
the entire Yser river area to flood and
putting the German military
prevalence at risk. Bastien and his
collaborators not only concentrated on
the heroic part played by the Belgian
army, but also illustrated the help
provided by the French and British
allies. Bastien did however not adopt a
strict chronology: fire destroyed the
Ypres cloth-maker’s hall and cathedral
on 21 November (that is after the Yser
battle), but by incorporating this event,
Bastien managed to focus both on the
British soldiers and on the German
attack on the medieval buildings at
Ypres, destroying centuries-old
patrimony and invaluable 15th century
Figure 1 Colour reproduction of the Yser
panorama, Burning of Ypres. Photo KLMMRA Brussels
city archives.
Eight scenes constitute the
Panorama: the first shows the coastal
towns of De Panne and Nieuwpoort, a
Red Cross post, French cavalry, and
German prisoners of war, as well as
Queen Elisabeth in conversation with
officers. The second scene presents
the Yser estuary at Nieuwpoort, with
Belgian and French soldiers, and it
also makes the transition to the third
subject, the Yser locks, with the locks
on the Plassendale canal in the
background. The artillery readies itself
in the fourth sequence and in the fifth
the polders at Tervaete are flooded on
28 October. The sixth view stages the
ruins at Diksmuide and the seventh
the fire of the hall and cathedral at
Ypres. The last part portrays De Panne
and the transport of German prisoners
of war, thus making for a seamless
transition with the first scene.
This beautiful piece of national
heritage had a turbulent history. From
1921 to 1924 it was on display in a
custom-made carrousel on the
Lemonnier Avenue in Brussels, where
it was a great success and was visited
and admired by countless tourists. The
setting was an exquisite example of
technical savoir-faire, as the
panoramic view and the circular
building demanded a specific
perspective. In order to strengthen the
illusion, the building was entered
through a dark trench-like hall-way,
the faux-terrain was covered with
grass and reed, and uniformed
mannequins completed the picture.
In the middle of the 1920s, the
Panorama was transferred to a
carrousel in Ostend. The building was
damaged by friendly fire during the
Second World War and also suffered
damage through leaks. The Royal
Military Museum2 acquired the
Panorama in 1950 from Alfred Bastien,
Articles
Figure 2 The Yser panorama in the Air
Hall, c. 1980. Photo Archives KLM-MRA
Brussels
Right Figure 3 The Yser panorama in
Zutendaal, August 2008
and it was put on display in the
Aviation Hall after restorations by the
artist and his team. For thirty years,
the Panorama hung in this large Hall
as a backdrop to the airplanes, until
the canvas sagged so badly – some
pieces had even come loose – that it
was finally taken down in separate
parts in 1982. It was then placed on a
large wooden cylinder and remained
untouched until 2004 when a small
part was unrolled to check its
condition. From the 1950s until the
80s, several restoration-projects were
planned, but because of the
phenomenal cost, they were never
executed.
In June 2008 the cylinder was
transferred to an army base with the
help of the logistics section of the
The Panorama shows
successive episodes of
the Yser battle, which
was fought along the
Belgian coast from 16 to
31 October 1914. It was a
true war of attrition, with
a large number of
casualties.
Belgian Army. There, the Panorama
was unrolled for the first time in more
than thirty years. Previously cut into
nine pieces, these large canvases
were then checked: more than 85% of
the entire painting had survived. It also
became clear that the condition of the
support and paint-layers, although
very damaged in certain places, was
much less bad overall than had been
feared. As this opens up possibilities
of conservation and perhaps eventual
restoration, the Royal Military Museum
is now studying future prospects for
the Panorama. Thus in September
2008, a first workshop with Royal
Military Museum staff, panoramaspecialists and experts from the Royal
Institute of the Artistic Heritage in
Brussels was organised. Furthermore,
in March 2009, the Royal Military
Museum and the International
Panorama Council organised a
conference in Brussels and Zutendaal,
which focused among other things
upon this monumental piece of
national heritage, its conservation and
eventual restauration.3
2
Notes
1 See N. Peeters & S. Smets, ‘Heurs
et malheurs d’un chef d’oeuvre de
Alfred Bastien: Le Panorama de
l’Yser’, in: Bulletin van het
Koninklijk Museum van het Leger
3
en de Krijgsgeschiedenis 2 (2008)
(forthcoming); L.-M. Colot, Le
Panorama de la bataille de l’Yser,
par Alfred Bastien, unpublished
master’s thesis, Université
Catholique de Louvain 1983; L. Van
Hasselt, Schilderen of Schieten?
De impact van de Wereldoorlogen
op het leven en het werk vn Alfred
Bastien (1873-1955), unpublished
master’s thesis, Katholieke
Universiteit Leuven 2006; S. Smets,
‘Les artistes belges face à la
Grance Guerre’, in: Bulletin van het
Koninklijk Museum van het Leger
en de Krijgsgeschiedenis 2 (2008)
(forthcoming); A. Deseyne, Alfred
Bastien en het IJzerpanorama,
Catalogus Tentoonstelling 20 Mei –
11 November 2001 Memorial Prins
Karel Domein Raversijde,
Raversijde 2001. The Panorama of
Congo is in the care of the Royal
Military Museum, but officially
owned by the State. It will be
unrolled in March 2009. The author
wishes to thank D. Vanthemsche
for help with the translation.
For more information, consult the
website of the Royal Military
Museum at www.klm-mra.be
For more information, consult the
website of the International
Panorama Council at
www.panoramapainting.com
Articles
An Arctic sword
Robert D Smith
Independent scholar
I
t is always something of a comfort to
find how arms and armour pervades
museum life. Working for the museum
in the Scott Polar Research Institute in
Cambridge I thought that I was
probably not going to encounter much
in the way of arms. The museum was
founded in 1934 as a memorial to
Captain Robert Scott and his fellow
explorers who perished on their way
back from the South Pole in 1912.
Since then it has become an
international centre for the history of
exploration in the Polar Regions and is
currently about to start a major
refurbishment for which I am the
project manager.
Late in 2008 I was approached by
the Keeper of Collections as to the
possibility of purchasing, by private
treaty, a sword which had belonged to
a man who had a significant, if small,
part in the exploration of the Arctic
regions. After the usual negotiations
the museum acquired it and I include
it here as a reminder that sometimes
it is not the object itself but it’s
associations that are important.
The sword itself is not unusual in
any way, indeed it is extremely
common – an 1846 pattern
presentation Naval Officer’s sword,
retailed by Whiteman, Outfitter, Lion
Terrace, Portsea. What makes it
special to the Scott Polar Research
Institute is that on the blade is etched
on one side, A. Ayles from the officers
of H.M.S Alert 2nd August1881, and on
the back with ARCTIC EXPEDITION
1875/6. Apart from these the sword
has the usual decoration being etched
with foliage, the crowned Royal Arms
on one side, and a crowned fouled
anchor and foliage on the other. It still
has its original sword knot, slightly
damaged, and original scabbard..
Adam Ayles was born at Marnhull,
Dorset, about 1850, the third child of
unmarried Elizabeth Ayles. His mother
may have married later because, after
leaving school at 12, Adam is said to
have worked on his ‘father’s’ farm for
four years before running away to join
the navy at Portsmouth. He completed
his basic training on the cadet ship
HMS St Vincent and the Abyssinian
campaign of 1867 gave him his first
taste of action.
In 1875 he volunteered, or was
chosen, for service ‘in the Polar Seas’
and he became Chief Petty Officer of
HMS Alert, one of the two ships that
made the Royal Navy ‘s last attempt to
reach the North Pole, (British Arctic
Expedition, 1875-76, led by George
Strong Nares), commencing on 29 May
1875. They reached Greenland in
August of that year but were unable to
travel further due to the ship
becoming trapped in ice.
They continued their expedition by
sledge with Ayles leading one of the
teams chosen to journey west, but
failed to reach the Pole. The one
notable reward for their suffering
came when Ayles and his team set a
new mark for Farthest North, breaking
a record that had stood for 50 years. At
some point on the coast, possibly
close to the place where they were
forced to turn back, Ayles built a very
personal memorial. He ‘erected a
cairn’ in which he ‘placed the Grand
Lodge seal of the Good Templar Order
of England, and placed over it a flag
bearing the emblems of the
Manchester Unity of Oddfellows.’ It is
not clear where the cairn is situated,
but it may have been at 82oN 80oW,
where one finds Ayles Fiord, leading
into Ayles Bay, containing the Ayles Ice
Shelf. There is also a Mount Ayles on
Ellesmere Island.
Upon his return Ayles received the
Arctic medal, promotion and this
presentation sword. He stayed with the
navy until 1885 and took his discharge
in Sydney. He lived there for another
seven years, except for a short visit to
England, and then moved to New
Zealand.
It seems fitting that his sword
should end up in a museum devoted to
the exploits of those who were
pioneers in the Polar Regions.
With thanks to Heather Lane,
Librarian at the Scott Polar Research
Institute and Stuart Leggatt.
Articles
Who knew?
Serendipitous
discoveries when
cataloguing a
collection
Steven A Walton
Pennsylvania State University
T
he general public would like to
believe that every item in a
museum is catalogued and all are as
important as or look like the shining
brass items in the glass cases. Of
course, curators know that there are
storerooms that no one has gone into
in years (if not decades), objects are
‘lost’ from memory even though they
have inventory numbers and are on
the far back of a shelf, and many items
in the stores are so insufficiently
catalogued that no one can guess at
what they really are unless they are
brought out to the light of the day. But
the joy of the vast quantities of objects
held by museums is that every now
and again, an item is discovered, old
items are rediscovered, and
connections can be drawn that could
not be seen before.
Such is the case as a team of
scholars undertakes a comprehensive
Morgan’s Bore-Quadrant in a Naval 32pdr.
Morgan’s Bore-Quadrant, c. 1766 [RAHT 24/66]
illustrated catalogue (to the extent
possible) of the holdings of the Royal
Artillery Historical Trust in Woolwich,
England. This collection, with many
tens of thousands of objects has for
nearly two centuries resided at the
Royal Artillery Institution and in
particular in the Rotunda Museum
(itself a Grade I listed historic building)
and, since 1999, the Firepower!
Museum in the old Royal Arsenal
buildings. Catalogues of the collection
have been produced since 1823, but
none that would meet the modern
standards of object-level description
and interpretation. It was therefore
decided in 2006 that the material in
the collection should be published in
detail by class (the collection was
already inventoried into 30 classes)
and catalogued by subject specialists.
Currently underway are catalogues of
pre-1820 British cannon, on the
outstanding model collection, and of
the pre-1914 scientific instruments.
This last catalogue has been my
responsibility for just under two years
and in two periods of cataloguing the
last two summers, a fascinating
collection of both mundane and
astonishing artillery instruments has
come to light. Since none of the
previous catalogues have been
illustrated, and many entries had
complete descriptions such as,
‘Powder eprouvette’ [Inv. 24/107] (to be
fair, many entries had longer
descriptions, but few were more than
40 words), there were surprises in
every cupboard and each storage
space. As this catalogue nears
completion, we thought it worthwhile
to give an example of the kind of object
about which we said with
astonishment and excitement, ‘Who
knew?’
Class 24, ‘Instruments and Tools’
had items listed as a ‘Brass
instrument with cross levels to be
inserted into the bore of a gun’ [24/66]
and ‘Instrument for laying mortars’
[24/89]. The former item had an
intriguing description and when we
found it at the back of a cupboard in
all its shining brass glory, we were
amazed. When the latter instrument
with its laconic description emerged, it
was found in two parts, the expanding
legs having been separated to a
completely different cupboard and
both parts tagged with the same
Articles
Balmain’s Bore Quadrant with Pickets
[RAHT 24/89]
number, so when we found the legs,
we were confused why the inventory
number was duplicated until we
realized they were two parts of the
same complex instrument – we were
doubly amazed. These two
clinometers are of a type previously
unremarked in artillery histories.
24/66 was produced by the noted
London instrument-maker Francis
Morgan in about 1766, and the other
invented by a Lieutenant of the Royal
Artillery in 1832. Both seem to have
been schemes to fix these laying
devices in the bore of the artillery so
that no compensation for the exterior
of the cannon was needed (a perennial
concern among gunners).
Morgan’s instrument used two sets
of triple, curved legs that spread apart
by the action of a cranked, doublethreaded screw in the centre of the
main shaft and has both a regular
quadrant as well as a smaller
horizontal arc marked to ±26o. The
quadrant itself is unusual in that an
inverted quadrant is used above the
piece with an indicator arm with a
place for a now-missing spirit level or
perhaps small telescope. Both of its
arcs have vernier scales graduated to
one minute of arc – quite an optimistic
precision for aiming a mid-18th
century cannon. The Balmain
instrument, on the other hand is more
realistic in being calibrated to half a
degree and consists of a regular
descending quadrant with long picket
sights attached to its back that pivots
freely on the central shaft of a fourlegged expanding base. In both cases,
the idea was that the central shafts of
the instruments would be
automatically collinear with the centre
of the cannon or mortar when the
instruments’ legs were expanded in
the bore.
As ingenious as these were,
however, it was immediately clear why
no one has ever heard of what we have
termed ‘bore-quadrants’. The Morgan
instrument was found with one set of
its expanding legs misassembled
(reversed) and out of alignment. Even
when assembled correctly and
adjusted so that the fore and aft legs
expanded at the same rate, it was
extremely difficult to get the 5kg
instrument to lodge reliably in the bore
without drooping. The parallel-motion
expanding armature of Lieut.
Balmain’s instrument exhibits the
problems of any four-bar linkage –
they bind against one another and
Balmain’s Bore-Quadrant in a Naval 32pdr
even when expanded the instruments
four cross-pieces had to be held
against the muzzle. Thus, while the
majority of the collection of RAHT
instruments were working models
originally housed to instruct cadets in
the art of gunnery, these two remained
in the collection as excellent examples
of the instrument-makers art, even if
they were neither efficacious nor the
progenitors of a new class of
instruments that were.
These are only two of the exciting
instruments found when we set out to
update and flesh out the existing
catalogue. More surprises were found
in Class 24 and other classes have
begun to yield similarly exciting
objects. The RAHT cataloguing
continues and will be a many year
undertaking. The RAHT’s likely
migration from the Rotunda in the
near future will move the collection to
Firepower! and current military bases
and it is hoped that these catalogues
will preserve the essence of a
centuries-old but under-appreciated
collection, for both military material
culture history as well as for museum
studies.
Articles
Hermann Göring’s peaked cap
Ilse Bogaerts
Collection of Uniforms, Textile and Equipment, Royal Military Museum, Brussels
T
he Royal Military Museum has an
active acquisition policy. This
implies that all Heads of Department
are encouraged to take the necessary
steps in order to extend and complete
their collections. Pieces can be
acquired from established auctioneers
or bought from private owners.
Donation or legacies are also
accepted. 2008 turned out to be an
exceptional year for the “Uniform and
Equipment” collection. Some 125
Second World War and post 1945
objects have been registered. The
pieces vary in nature and range from
protective NBC gear (nuclear
biological, chemical) and paratrooper
suits to countless carrying straps,
cartridge belts and kit bags.
Provenance is very diverse: we
inventoried Belgian, American, British
and German material. We would
nevertheless like to present here one
truly exceptional object: Marshal
Hermann Göring’s white Luftwaffe
peaked cap or service cap (Rosenheim
12/01/1893 – Nuremberg 15/10/1946).
Göring became a member of the
It goes without saying
that the purchase of
such prestigious pieces,
belonging to historically
important people,
demands a special
financial effort.
NSDAP Nazi party in 1922 and Hitler
rewarded him with the title of
Reichsmarschall in 1940, as a token of
gratitude for services rendered as
Head of the German Air Force during
the Blitzkrieg against the Netherlands,
Belgium and the British and French
armies. He had carefully constructed
his position during the interwar
period, first as the leader of the Sturm
Abteilung (1923), then as a Member of
Parliament for the national socialist
NSDAP (1928), and four years later as
president of the Reichstag. As Home
Secretary he created the Gestapo
(Nazi Germany’s secret police) in 1933.
In 1935, shortly after Hitler’s rise to
power, he became the Führer’s main
advisor. That same year he put down
the foundations for a new kind of
military organization, in preparation
for future warfare in the air, the
Luftwaffe.
Göring was definitely a key figure
in the NSDAP rise to power and the
preparation of the Second World War.
As marshal of the Reich in 1940 he
was at the height of his influence, but
after the Battle of Britain Hitler no
longer turned to him for advice. He
kept his title, but the contents of his
function were eroded.
Articles
Identification Schirmmütze
A white peaked cap, to be worn with the
summer service dress, belonging to a
Luftwaffe general field marshal, the
rank Hermann Göring received on 4
February 1938. This cap is the personal
one belonging of the later marshal of
the Reich (title granted on 19 July
1940). A label bearing his name is sewn
to the lining and a letter by Edda Göring
(June 2, 1938), his daughter,
guarantees the authenticity of the item.
The summer uniform peaked cap is
characterized by the fact that it is white
and does not present contrasting
piping. Although it is an item destined
for summer, the cap is made of high
quality felt wool and not of cotton or
linen although these fibers are much
more pleasant to wear in the heat.
The shape of the cap is also quite
special, as the front is significantly
raised and much higher than the back
(see pictures). A peaked cap is usually
described as a rimless head cover with
stiff peak, to be worn perpendicularly
on the forehead. The dome of the cap
is larger than the head and the shape
is maintained by stiff lining on the
inside. The cap matches the colour of
the uniform. It also displays a white
badge on the front, with an eagle
embroidered in gold. This is the
Luftwaffe emblem. Apparently, Göring
designed this himself. The eagle, a
traditional symbol of the Third Reich,
had been the NSDAP symbol since
1933. However, the Air Force eagle
does not hold a swastika in both its
claws, as the NSDAP’s does. Göring
had opted for a spread-winged eagle
holding the swastika in only one claw,
with the other claw in a threatening
attitude. The white dome, worn high
on the head, rests on solid strip of
black webbing, sewn at the back.
The eagle, a traditional
symbol of the Third Reich,
had been the NSDAP
symbol since 1933.
The rank of general is indicated
through the emblem on the black
webbing: the cockade with the
national colours (red inside,
white/silver centre, black outer rim) in
a wreath of gilded oak leaves, flanked
by stylized wings in gold embroidery.
The white service dress cap has a
rounded black leather peak. A gold
hat-guard, made of metal wire, runs
ear to ear and is fastened on both
sides with flat gilded buttons.
It goes without saying that the
purchase of such prestigious pieces,
belonging to historically important
people, demands a special financial
effort. However, the possession of
objects like these undoubtedly
influences visitors’ numbers. Museum
and military fanatics really come and
admire them. Such top pieces can
perhaps also finally lure the dedicated
Internet user who usually limits
himself to pictures of our treasures on
our website. A virtual visit will indeed
never be able to procure the thrill of
‘physical’ contact.
The peaked cap will be presented
in our new acquisition showcase from
March 2009.
Articles
The new Duke of
Wellington’s
Regiment Museum
Guy M Wilson
I
n general, as we all know, military
museums are not among the best
funded in the world and often the
smaller they are the more that
keeping going is a struggle. In the UK,
with its regimental tradition this has
caused problems over the last half
century as successive reductions in
troop numbers have led, inevitably, to
the complete demise of some
regiments and the amalgamation of
others. Shorn of direct support from
their regiment many museums have
been handed over to local authorities
and amalgamated with local history
collections, others have been given a
home in local museums though they
are still partly, at least, independent
and independently funded. One of
these, the Museum of the Duke of
Wellington’s Regiment, housed in the
Bankfield Museum, Halifax, is the
subject of this article.
The Regiment traces its origins
back to 14 March 1702 when Queen
Anne authorised Colonel George
Hastings, the 8th the Earl of
Huntingdon to begin recruiting for an
infantry regiment which became the
Bankfield Museum, Halifax, home of the Museum of the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment
33rd Regiment of Foot when British
regiments were given numbers in
1751. In 1782 its close links with
Yorkshire, where most of its recruiting
took place, were recognised when, at
the request of Lord Cornwallis, to its
number was added the title of 1st
Yorkshire West Riding Regiment. In
1793 Arthur Wellesley, later to become
the Duke of Wellington, joined the
Regiment and commanded it in action
in the Netherlands and India. The
Regiment fought under him at
Waterloo in 1815 and, following his
death, his long and close association
with the Regiment was recognised by
BBC Look North presenter Christa Ackroyd opens the new displays on 11 November 2008
with Brigadier Dick Mundell looking on
the conferral on it of the title The Duke
of Wellington’s Regiment under which
name it fought in the Crimea. In 1881
the Regiment was amalgamated with
the 76th, raised for service in India in
1787, and became The Duke of
Wellington’s (West Riding Regiment).
Since then it has served in the
Crimean War and many of the colonial
campaigns of the late 19th and early
20th centuries, in both World Wars,
and, subsequently in Korea, Cyprus,
Hong Kong, Kenya, Northern Ireland,
the Falkland Islands, the Balkans and
Iraq. In the process the Regiment has
gained many battle honours, awards
and freedoms; it has earned a
reputation as one of the best trained
infantry regiment’s in the British Army,
a reputation that dates back to before
the American War of Independence;
and its soldiers have won nine Victoria
Crosses. In 2006 the ‘Dukes’
amalgamated with The Prince of
Wales’s Own Regiment of Yorkshire
(14th/15th Foot), The Green Howards
(Alexandra, Princess of Wales’s Own
Yorkshire Regiment) (19th Foot) and
their associated Territorial Companies
to form The Yorkshire Regiment, of
which it is now the 3rd battalion. It is
an armoured infantry battalion
equipped with Warrior fighting
vehicles and, when “at home” is
stationed at Warminster, some 250
Articles
One of the museum’s oral accounts brought to dramatic life at the opening of the new
museum
miles from the home of most of its
soldiers who are still largely recruited
from the West Riding of Yorkshire. The
Dukes traditions have survived many
changes over its long history and is
still proud both of its fighting abilities
and its long-nurtured prowess on the
rugby field which has now been
passed on to the new Regiment.
This recent amalgamation, which
has seen it reduced to a battalion in
the Yorkshire Regiment, took place
during the two-phase re-display of the
regimental collections at Bankfield
Museum and, one suspects that soon
questions will be asked about the
future of the Regiment-wide museum
service, questions which may include
the long-term sustainability of
maintaining a separate museum for
each battalion of the new Regiment.
But now is not quite the time for such
a move. The Dukes and the other old
regiments still have life in their bones
and a large constituency of veterans
who are proud to have served in the
unique atmosphere of ‘their’
Regiment.
The British army is proud, very
proud indeed, of its regimental
tradition, though it has had its
detractors amongst military
historians. To serve in a regiment is to
become part of a family with a long
record of service and sacrifice and
with some special, sometimes even
unique attributes deriving from that
long record. General Sir Charles
The honorary Queen’s Colour presented to
the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment in 1906
and withdrawn from service 1969
Huxtable was Colonel of the Duke of
Wellington’s Regiment from 1982 to
1990. A Duke through and through, on
his retirement he gave this personal
assessment of what makes the
‘Dukes’ Regiment special:
“We are not a smart, social
Regiment. We do not seek to be ever in
the headlines. We do not pretend to
have some special expertise. Indeed
perhaps what makes us special is that
we do not seek to be any of those
things. We are ordinary straight
forward folk who stick together. We
have in the Dukes some of the best
soldiers in the world. I would back the
Dukes’ soldier - the good, honest
straight forward, hard working
Yorkshireman - against any soldiers in
the world. From these first class
soldiers we have consistently obtained
outstanding senior NCOs and Warrant
Officers. Finally we have officers who
are not afraid to get their boots muddy
and who understand the soldiers they
lead. If you put these assets together
in an organisation that works hard and
plays hard, which gets on with its job;
and if you ensure there is a proper
understanding and communication
between the various groups and add
those very loyal and supportive
families, you end up with a first class
professional Regiment. A Regiment
which will do any job it is given
anywhere in the world and will stick at
it until it is successful. You get a
feeling of mutual support and respect,
you get a group of people with strong
bonds of friendship, of history, of
enjoyment, of endeavour and
achievement. In short, you get The
Duke of Wellington’s Regiment”.
Regimental museums exist to help
us all understand and appreciate the
rich tradition of these amazing
organisations and to do this they must
show us something of both their
tangible and their intangible heritage.
But if, increasingly and rightly the
audience for regimental museums is
seen to be “us all” that is not quite
where most of them started. Like
many others the Dukes Museum
began life in the 1920s as a training
aid to educating the Regiment and its
recruits. The decision to establish a
museum followed the Regiment’s
experience in the First World War
when the “Dukes” expanded to 21
battalions and had over 8000 killed
and 40,000 wounded. Few local
families in the recruiting area were
unaffected. As a result there were
recruiting problems in the 1920s and
the Museum developed as a response
to this. At first it was set up in the
Education Centre of the Regimental
depot in Halifax. Its purpose was
unashamedly to train recruits and to
inculcate the heritage and tradition of
the Regiment. Public access was
limited and by appointment only. This
ethos and arrangement lasted until
the end of National Service when the
army became what it had been before
Articles
The introductory panel that welcomes visitors and explains how to
use the displays
the World Wars, a small professional
service. There was no longer the need
for a large training organisation and
the depot closed. But, as Dick
Mundell, Chairman of the Museum’s
Board of trustees, explains, the
Museum itself continued:
“By this time, through the energy
of its staff, the Museum had acquired
a relatively attractive collection and,
since Halifax had been the RHQ since
the 1870s, Halifax (now Calderdale)
Council agreed to house the
collections at their Bankfield
Museum. In our case through this
partnership with a local authority we
got the benefit of storage,
conservation and some curatorial
services paid for. This has continued
to today. They have the benefit of a
local military collection but also the
costs. The Regiment contributes
artefacts and a governing body and
occasionally funds for new displays,
publications and events.”
But, of course, it has not always
been plain sailing. There has from
time to time been some opposition to
local public support for a military
museum, an inevitable problem when
local politicians are involved. And,
according to Dick, there was also little
support from the museum world at
this time, apart from the notable
contributions of some individuals, and
the Dukes Museum, like so many
other suffered partial neglect.
Dick Mundell recalls that he began
to get involved with the Museum and
its future when he became Colonel of
the Regiment in 1990.
“At this time there was a debate
about the location of the Museum at
Bankfield, some mile and a half from
the centre of town, on a relatively
minor road and separated from the
town by the barrier of major road
junctions. So town centre locations
were considered – like the magnificent
Piece Hall, close to the very successful
Eureka children’s museum – with a
view to improving visitor numbers by
relocation to the town centre. Then it
was realised that a major relocation
within Halifax was not feasible and
that the future of the Museum lay, for
the medium-term, at least, at
Bankfield which Calderdale Council
had decided was a permanent feature
of their heritage plans. In some ways it
is a strange mix – a military museum
set in a museum of textiles, but it
gives variety and the public seem to
like it.”
So it was that in 2002 that the
trustees of the Duke of Wellington’s
Regiment Museum, embarked upon
an ambitious plan to completely
redisplay the rather faded regimental
displays. Dick Mundell, by now
chairing the Board of Trustees, was
well qualified to lead this task. After a
distinguished service career, which
saw him commanding the first British
airmobile brigade, he served as
Development Officer to the Royal
Armouries during the creation of the
new Royal Armouries Museum in
Leeds and admits to learning much in
that sometimes painful birth of a new
museum.
“After 10 years with RA it was
apparent to me that our old type of
military museum was not good at
telling the stories of our heritage or
involving the local community or the
regiment. And I was convinced that
military museums have a duty to tell
the stories not only to historians and
military addicts and also the general
public, and especially to children. The
reason? Because an army and a
One of the oral history stations positioned throughout the new displays
Articles
Large explanatory panels are designed
with illustrations and relevant text.
Illustrated here 1915 Stalemate from the
First World War section
regiment is only as good as the public
support for it.”
To achieve this Dick was convinced
that the Museum had to tell stories, to
include in modern museum jargon the
intangible as well as the tangible
heritage of the Regiment in the
museum experience. And these
stories had to be not only about
fighting with the Dukes but living and
training and playing with them as well.
They had to encompass the Duke’s
renowned prowess in rugby football,
the most popular game in their
recruiting area in the late 19th century.
As Dick says
“The area was tough, the game
was tough, so the recruits were tough.
The Regiment has always played rugby
to a very high standard. We won the
first army-wide Rugby Cup and since
then we have attracted many officers
from outside the area because they
like playing the game. In this way the
tradition has been perpetuated and
strengthened.”
But the range of stories that Dick
wanted the Museum to tell was wider
even than this. it encompassed the
Regiment’s effect upon the local
community, the experiences of those
who were left at home to worry and
grieve and those foreign civilians who
helped the Regiment and its soldiers
during their campaigns. It was a
challenging task indeed.
But, undaunted, the practical
soldier in Dick knew that he had to
move fast while the time was right and
secure sufficient support and funding
to get the job done if not perfectly at
least well enough. As he says
“The key to this was funding. We
would need help from Calderdale and
some substantial grants. We had
willing managers in Calderdale and
the Regiment, but very limited funds in
both so the decision was taken in 2000
to split the project into two phases and
apply for regional lottery funding in
order to have the best chance of
getting things going while the various
parties were keen and willing to
participate. With these positive forces
in place it was vital to get going – the
sooner we did the more likely we were
to succeed. If we’d let it slip for 5 years
who knows what might have
happened. By the time the idea of
amalgamating to form the Yorkshire
Regiment was under discussion our
redisplay project was well under way.”
The timing was indeed perfect. In
Dick Mundell the Regiment had
someone with museum experience to
lead the project at the same time as
Calderdale’s Community Services
Department was willing and
supportive. Of course, Dick admits that
others might have done things
differently and got bigger grants, but,
thanks to a very supportive and
creative team he has wrung every drop
out of the limited funds available to
him. The complete redisplay of the
Museum was split into two phases.
The first “Through Soldiers’ Eyes” tells
the story of the Regiment from the
beginning of the Second World War to
the present, the second, “Forgotten
Voices”, concentrates on the earlier
history of the Regiment. In round
figures each of the two phases cost
£62,000, a total of £124,000 for the
complete redisplay. How many
museums can say that they have
transformed themselves for less than
that? The funding to make it possible
came from two grants totalling
£99,600 from the Heritage Lottery
Fund, £14,000 from Calderdale and
£10,000 from the Regiment. But
getting the money was only half of the
story as Dick is happy to admit.
“Even with these funds we would
not have succeeded without all
involved also contributing much in
kind as the time and effort to make it
all happen. An immense amount of
Regimental time from the Colonel and
Chairman of the Museum’s Board
down has been put in to this project. It
would not have happened without the
dedication and hard work of the
Regimental Secretary and the archive
staff. And it was the professional staff
of Calderdale who provided the
managerial, curatorial, educational
and design expertise to deliver the
project successfully. All involved in
Calderdale helped enormously but
some deserve special mention. Phase
1 was managed for us by Barry
Sheridan, Phase 2 by Franne Wills. We
would have got nowhere without the
skill and patience of the designer Dave
Connolly nor without the expert
knowledge, experience and
interpretative skills of the military
curator John Spencer.”
Display on the regimental depot
established in Halifax in 1877
Articles
Displays of the Dukes’ recent service in Bosnia and Northern Ireland
When you enter the new displays
that are the result of all this work an
introductory text panel succinctly
explains the intentions behind the
work that has been undertaken in the
last 6 years:
“In these displays you will see the
heritage of the ‘Dukes’….You can hear
Dukes soldiers recalling their
experiences and exploits.….The facts
of history can be found in books; the
emotions, the humour and the
modesty in these stories will take you
back to the men who made it…..”
From the very beginning the new
displays try to say to the visitor
Here is a museum that tells the
story of a regiment set in its social
context
Here is a museum that tells that
story through the experiences of
people who were there
Here is a museum that tries to
explain not only what happened,
but what it was like to be there
To achieve this on a low budget it
was decided right at the beginning to
build the displays not only around the
collections of the Museum but a varied
selection of stories of life in the
Regiment, life on campaign and life for
those who were left at home, accounts
which visitors could choose to listen to
as they went around the displays.
Telling these stories was to involve
attempting to integrate threedimensional displays with the written
and oral accounts of those who were
there. And more than lip service was
paid to this ideal. The accounts were
not just set alongside displays already
selected, but rather the choice of
accounts was used to inform design
and lay-out decisions. So, for instance,
while visitors listen to an account of
the COs cook fighting his first battle in
Normandy in 1944 with a scavenged
rifle with no bolt (having lost his when
he fell in a cow pat during an air
attack!) they look at a case containing
a Lee Enfield rifle from which the bolt
has been removed. For this style to be
consistent throughout the Museum
not only was a conventional oral
history project required, recording the
experiences of selected Dukes who
have served from the Second World
War onwards, but also a project to find
earlier written accounts of Dukes and
to get them recorded by young actors
to show a continuity of service since
1702. The selection of written
accounts for “oral” treatment to match
the spoken reminiscences of more
recent Dukes was a little contentious.
Should written accounts be mixed with
spoken ones? Should the real voices of
Dukes be mixed with those of actors?
Would the written accounts have the
immediacy of the directly recorded
ones? In the end the concerns faded
into the background. What the
combination of both enabled was a
complete coverage of the history of the
Regiment so that there is an integrity,
a style and a rhythm that pervades the
The displays include battle trophies such as this Indian helmet captured at Seringapatam
in 1797
Articles
The First World War displays themed with
trench-like shuttering and sandbags
whole Museum. It allows the voices of
Dukes to be heard from the forests of
colonial North America in the 1760s to
the streets of Basra in the 21st
century. And it allows those who
observed, helped and were affected by
the service and sacrifice of the Dukes
to be heard as well. Accounts such as
this surely cannot help but move
visitors to the Museum and make
them realise the human cost of
conflict throughout human history.
And, because they are recorded they
can be packaged in various ways. As
well as listening to some of them in
the Museum visitors can buy them all,
as a set of three CDs, or just buy the
one or two that most interest them
and listen to them at home, excerpts
can be made available on line, and
special educational DVD packages can
be created for use in schools and
colleges. Much thought has been given
during the redisplay as to how to
encourage both educational visits to
and distance learning via the Museum
and this is an area where what has
been done so far is seen by those
involved as very much a stepping stone
to further improvements in future. In
this the involvement of the local
authority’s education staff has been
critical. The Regiment could not have
done it on its own.
So, how far has Dick and his team
succeeded in the near impossible task
they set themselves on so limited a
budget? Dick is more than satisfied.
“Now it is finished and we can look
back I amazed how much we have
achieved for a relatively modest capital
outlay. We owe a great debt to the
Heritage Lottery Fund. Their staff
proved accessible, supportive, flexible
and sensible and encouraged us on
the road to success. Without their
support we wouldn’t have been able to
start, they were keys to the successful
delivery of the new Museum. Had we
tried to raise money instead from local
businesses, philanthropists and trusts
I suspect we would still be waiting to
start. ”The Heritage Lottery Fund was
pleased to be involved in the project
and is proud to be associated with the
team’s achievement:
Fiona Spiers, Head of Heritage
Lottery Fund - Yorkshire and the
Humber, said
“These 2 fantastic projects have
really brought the Museum’s
collections and the soldier’s stories to
life for everyone to explore. HLF is
dedicated to supporting projects that
open up our heritage for locals and
visitors to learn about and enjoy, and
these projects are great examples of
how this can be achieve with a small
amount of money and a lot of hard
work!”
The Regiment was, indeed,
fortunate to have Dick at the helm of
their Museum at just the right time.
And he was ably assisted by a
committed and supportive Board that
included Alice Mahon, former MP of
Halifax one of whose close relatives
The new displays appreciated by visitors
served in the Dukes in the First World
War. What they have achieved is quite
remarkable. Of course, one could
criticise. Of course with more money
the displays would have looked slicker
with new show cases rather than
revamped old ones and there could
have been more of the computer interactives that many of today’s museum
professionals and designers seem to
think are more important than real
things in a museum. But that is to
carp. The achievements are real and
impressive. Most importantly, they
seem to be working. As Dick says
“For the moment I am satisfied
that what we have produced is more
than I thought possible. We now have
the basis of what a modern regimental
museum should be. Visitor figures
have gone up, interest is increasing
and educational use is rising. The
numbers may not be as great as we
had hoped but what we have now is an
excellent museum. For a modest
outlay our legacy is a quantum
improvement. The next challenge is to
back it up by improved public access
to our archives.”
A typical comment of a modest but
highly motivated and talented man.
But did he really succeed in
encapsulating in the new displays
what Sir Charles Huxtable was trying
to convey about the uniqueness of the
Duke of Wellington’s Regiment? To
answer that question you’ll have to
venture into the land of those tough
rugby-playing Yorkshiremen and visit
Halifax’s Bankfield Museum yourself.
Articles
The study collection of military equipment
(Wehrtechnische Studiensammlung – WTS)
at the Federal Office for Defence Technology
and Procurement (Bundesamt für
Wehrtechnik und Beschaffung – BWB) in
Koblenz, Germany.
Hubert Zimmer
Curator of the Department of Firearms and Aircraft
T
he Study Collection of Military
Equipment at the Federal Office for
Defence Technology and Procurement,
one of the most important and biggest
collection of its kind in Europe, is
located in the City of Koblenz at the
River Rhine in Germany. Founded in
1962 by the late Secretary of Defence
(MoD) Franz-Josef Strauss, the main
task of the WTS is the support of the
education and training of the technical
personal of the MoD but it is also open
to the public. On some 7.200m2 the
WTS presents all kinds of military
equipment; from personal outfits to
complete weapon systems such as
aircraft or tanks, mainly real
milestones and – in accordance with
their main task – prototypes. A
comprehensive archive containing
handpicked literature and thousands
of Technical Manuals compliments the
mostly functional exhibits. Not only the
already mentioned technicians make
use of the sources of the WTS but also
experts from allied Nations visit the
institution frequently for enquiries and
of course the German Armed Forces
take advantage of the possibilities
offered by the WTS. In this way the
WTS contributes substantially to the
improvement of the equipment of the
soldiers. In addition the WTS
cooperates with other organisations in
Germany such as Universities and
science institutes.
But all of this was put in jeopardy
when the MoD was restructured
starting two years ago. In conjunction
with the reduction of personal and
resources, the WTS and its necessity
was questioned. Proposals were made
to close the WTS and distribute its
inventory to other existing institutes
such as the Air Force Museum or the
Museum of Military History. It was only
the dedication of the WTS members,
friends and supporters of the WTS and
many well-meaning people that this
plan could be turned down. For all of
them it was a great relief and pleasure
when finally the Secretary of Defence
Dr. Franz-Josef Jung on 1st July 2008
announced his decision, that the WTS
would be continued and would stay in
the City of Koblenz.
After all the confusion and painful
uncertainty the users, visitors and the
staff of the WTS are now able to go
ahead with the project WTS, which will
be relocated to a new, much better
situated location in the former FritschKaserne close to the Fortress
Ehrenbreitstein, a well known Tourist
Attraction in the Rhine area, just
opposite the Deutsches Eck
Monument.
On some occasions, such as
anniversaries, the WTS will conduct
special exhibitions. To date the WTS
presents an exhibition on the Pistole
08 – Luger, which, 100 years ago on 22
August 1908, was chosen to become
the ordnance weapon of the Prussian
Army, and subsequently became one
the most noted semi-automatic
weapons in the world. The exhibition
will be on display till the end this year.
A full illustrated catalogue is available
at the collection.
Further information: [email protected]
Articles
The Naseby
Battlefield Project
David Blackmore
Freelance museum consultant and author
O
n the 14 June 1645 the newly
formed army of Parliament, the
New Model Army, met the army of
Charles I in battle at Naseby. This
battle was the decisive fight of the
English Civil War. Here the New Model
Army defeated the forces of King
Charles. The Royalist infantry was
destroyed, almost entirely killed or
captured, and the cavalry was severely
The Naseby Battlefield trail map
damaged. Without a field army at his
command, the king’s attempt to
impose autocratic rule was over.
Naseby ranks with Hastings and
Bosworth as a turning point in English
history.
For decades a simple story has
been told about the fight, but
investigations by local metal
detectorists have revolutionized our
understanding. Their carefully
recorded findings showed that the
battle extended both north and south
of the supposed scene of conflict and
clarified the location of a number of
well-recorded incidents. These
findings have informed published work
from 1995 onwards, in particular
Glenn Foard’s Naseby, which set new
standards in battlefield investigation.
The work of scholars, amateur and
professional, continues to refine and
improve our understanding.
In 1823 the first monument was
erected to commemorate the Battle of
Naseby when the Lord and Lady of the
manor, John and Mary Fitzgerald, had
the Obelisk built on the old windmill
mound. In 1936 the Cromwell
Monument was installed on
Broadmoor. It was the gift of Mr C E
The refurbished obelisk monument
Reich who expressed his hope that
‘you and your children, and your
children’s children will remember that
here at Naseby occurred one of the
most important events in the history of
your country.’ In more recent years a
museum was maintained by the late
Eric Westaway in Naseby village,
keeping alive the memory of the
Naseby fight.
In 2000 a new movement to
celebrate the heritage of this place
began. It was an entirely local
initiative. As a result, under the aegis
of the Battlefields Trust,
www.battlefieldstrust.com, the
Naseby Working Party was set up in
2001. This group comprised the local
people who had initiated the work of
enhancing the battlefield as a place to
be visited and was expanded to include
two others from a little further afield,
but also within Northamptonshire.
When work began on the ground in
2006 the Naseby Battlefield Project
became a registered company with a
view to becoming a charity within the
membership of the Trust.
In January 2007 agreement was
reached with the Royal Armouries to
work in partnership in the
development of the Naseby Battlefield
Project. In May 2007 The Naseby
Battlefield project became a charity
registered in England,
www.naseby.com.
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Interpretation board at Fairfax’s viewpoint
The Cromwell monument
In recent years the Naseby Project
has established a tour around the
battlefield with viewing points
complete with car parking and
interpretive panels. An interesting
feature of these viewing points is that
they all have raised sections that lift
the viewer up to the same level as
someone on a horse. There are future
plans to extend this trail to parts of the
battlefield that are not currently
accessible. At over a mile wide and
about five miles long the battlefield
has been described as the biggest
museum object in the UK. It is also in
an excellent state of preservation with
very little building on it beyond a
couple of new farms.
In the longer term the Naseby
Project intends to establish
permanent visitor facilities at the
battlefield. To this end a piece of land,
about 12 hectares, has been secured
by supporters of the project,
overlooking most of the battlefield, but
not on the battlefield as such. It is the
intention that these facilities will be
much more than just an information
point and refreshment stop. The
ambition is to establish a museum and
research centre dealing with the
Battle, the English Civil War and
warfare in general during the ‘early
modern period’, from Maurice of
Nassau, by way of Gustavus Adolphus
up to the late 18th century and the
American War of Independence, with
its echoes of the English Civil War. It is
intended that there will be a museum
in the traditional sense, dealing with
these topics, backed up by a
collection, a library and research
facilities. The first of what is intended
to be a regular Naseby Conference
was held last year, with speakers of a
high calibre, such as Ian Gentles.
Links have already been established
with the Royal Armouries and
Leicester University and other links
with relevant institutions are sought.
There are also plans to look closely
at the local environment and land use
and how it has changed since 1645. In
time it is hoped to extend the
museum’s activities to include 17th
century rural life and social history.
Last year, as a step towards
achieving this, the Trustees of the
Project engaged the services of the
Heritage Consultancy Company,
Attract Marketing,
www.attractmarketing.co.uk, to carry
a full feasibility study of the project
and the Trustees aspirations. This
document, copies of which are
available from the Project, concluded
that the project is a viable and
sustainable proposition and laid out
how it could be brought to fruition.
Since that report a first stage building
has been designed and is at planning
application stage. The first object has
Conference attendees at Rupert’s
viewpoint
also been acquired for the collection,
an English basket-hilted sword, c.
1560, that was found on the battlefield.
Much more archaeological material
has been promised once there is
somewhere to house it.
Currently the Project has reached
a tipping point. The Trustees of the
Project who have taken it this far now
need to obtain the funding to take it on
to the next level. This means securing
the funding necessary to engage the
services of relevant professionals and
construct the first building.
Model of proposed visitor centre

The Yser Panorama

Transcription

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