Regimental museums can be of great assistance to
family historians as they can provide vital information on the
regiments themselves and the campaigns they fought in along with
photographs and medals won by the soldiers themselves. If you know that
your ancestor served with one of the regiments then a visit to their
museum is always worthwhile. Few, however, visit the National Army
Museum in London and Peter B. Boyden, Assistant Director (Collections)
at the Museum, describes why a visit can reveal some surprises.
The National Army Museum opened its new home in Royal
Hospital Road, Chelsea, in November 1971, when the widespread interest
in family history, which is such a feature of contemporary life, was
first beginning to make its presence felt in Britain. Having begun life
at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, the Museum received its Royal
Charter in 1960 and thanks to the generosity of many private donors was
able to open in its purpose-built London home eleven years later. On
the face of it the Museum is not an obvious hunting ground for family
historians, given that it holds no records relating to the Army careers
of individual soldiers, which are to be found in the Public Record
Office. There is a chance the pay hook of great-great-uncle Fred may
have been given to the Museum Archives, but in general the Museum
cannot help directly with enquiries about individual other ranks. The
success rate for information about commissioned officers is higher,
chiefly because details about them is available in printed sources such
as Army Lists, regimental histories and other publications. In
addition, for those researching officers of the East India Company
armies, and the successor Indian Army, the Museum owns the card index
of biographical data on them compiled by Major Vernon Hodson. For most
people researching ancestors who served in the British Army the
National Army Museum is able to be of little direct help, but this does
not stop many family historians finding visits to the Museum of
enormous benefit, chiefly because its collections and facilities enable
researchers to put into context the information which they have
obtained from documents in the Public Record Office.
Collections
An important source of this background data is the
Museum’s collections. Following the obligations set out in its Royal
Charter, the Museum collects and preserves items relating to the land
forces of the British Crown. They include items which range in size
from buttons to railway locomotives, manufactured in all possible
materials from paper to steel. Uniforms, badges, medals, firearms,
swords and other weapons, items of kit and all the paraphernalia used
by soldiers through the ages figure largely in the Museum’s
collections, but so too do handicrafts made by prisoners of war,
examples of soldiers’ embroidery, letters, diaries, sketches, mess
silver, and a host of other things which were either made or used by
soldiers. A wealth of illustrative material — oil paintings,
watercolours, prints and photographs —depict not only individuals, but
also record the experience of soldiers on campaign, in barracks and
when relaxing off-duty whereever in the world British troops have
served. These items, particularly the three-dimensional ones, feature
in the Museum’s galleries, which are arranged in a chronological
sequence from Agincourt to the present day and illustrate the
circumstances in which soldiers lived, and the nature of their uniform
and weapons.
In addition the National Army Museum has extensive study
collections of books, archives, photographs and works of art on paper,
which may be consulted in the Reading Room. Access is only by Reader’s
Ticket, which must be applied for in advance of a visit; application
forms maybe obtained from the Department of Printed Books. Although
there is always the chance that family historians find direct
references to the individuals they are researching, in common with the
museum displays, these sources are usually of the greatest help in
providing background information about soldiers’ lives. For example,
having ascertained from the Public Record Office details of the
regiment, where and when an ancestor served, the resources of the
National Army Museum Reading Room will provide further information
about these events and places, including, in all probability, pictorial
representations of at least some of them.
Events
To bring the collections, and indeed the history of the
Army, further to life the National Army Museum holds a series of
monthly Special Events Weekends which explore specific aspects of Army
life. Using a mixture of speakers, costumed interpreters, live
performers, children’s workshops and other activities, the 1879 Zulu
War, the Horse in War, Desert Warfare, and the Victorian Soldier’s
Christmas (to name but a few) are showcased and interpreted for
visitors of all ages. A feature of some of these weekends is the
opportunity to try on original and replica items of clothing and to
handle and feel the weight of pieces of equipment, something which
gives fresh insights into the military lives of past generations which
no amount of documentation can provide. A weekly programme of lunchtime
talks explores themes linked to the subject of Special Events weekends,
and in addition the Museum periodically holds conferences and study
days on aspects of British military history. Some of these are
specifically aimed at family historians, and include practical guidance
on searching archival sources, while also including costumed
interpreters to discuss the uniform and equipment of soldiers of the
Victorian period, and the First World War. Information on forthcoming
events are contained in a ‘What’s on’ leaflet, updated very month. This
brief article has obtained the ways in which the National Army Museum
caters for the needs of family historians, and will hopefully encourage
some readers to pay it a visit. Details of opening hours (admission is
free) and other information for visitors can be obtained from the
website www.national-armymuseum.ac.uk
and is also available in hard copy by post from the National Army
Museum, Royal Hospital Road, London SW3 4HT.
BerksFHS 
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