If you are planning a tour to Britian, and would like to take in some of the spectacle of our military heritage we can help you to take advantage of the dozens of re-enactment and other events staged around the country.
We will be adding an events calendar so you can see what is on and where!
The museum holds the regimental
treasures of The Gordon Highlanders, from 1794 to 1994. Its
collections include weapons, uniforms, silver and 4000 medals,
among them 12 Victoria Crosses, along with film and photographic
exhibitions. The Highlanders were merged with Scotland’s five other
infantry regiments to form The Royal Regiment of Scotland in
2006.
In response to the English defeat
at Stirling Bridge, Edward I raised a new army to invade Scotland
in 1298. A Scots Army led by William Wallace and consisting largely
of spearmen, was attacked first by the English cavalry and then
longbowmen. The hail of arrows was decisive and the Scots were
overwhelmed. The site of the battle is disputed but most likely to
the south of Callendar Wood.
The
penultimate battle of the Second Jacobite Rising and a victory for
the rebel forces, following their retreat from England into
Scotland. A government force under Henry Hawley set out to relieve
Stirling Castle and met Lord George Murray's Jacobite army at
Falkirk. The battle was a confused affair and the Jacobites failed
to capitalise on their victory. The battlefield, a high moor to the
south of Falkirk, is one of the best preserved of its era. A
monument stands near the ravine to the north of the
site.
A
volunteer-operated aviation museum based around the restored
control tower at the former RAF Dumfries. It has a collection of
aircraft, aero engines, artefacts and personal memorabilia
concerning airborne forces, both civil and military. A new display
representing aviation in Scotland and a mock-up of a WWII living
room are now complete.
A triangular castle with a
twin-towered gatehouse, surrounded by a moat. Located on the south
coast of Scotland, with England just the other side of the Solway
Firth, Caerlaverock was a key defensive position in the
long-running border conflicts. Besieged many times, notably by
Edward I in 1300, its last siege was in 1640 during the Civil War
when the garrison held out against the Protestant Covenanter army
for 13 weeks
The first
operational military airfield in Great Britain was set up in
Montrose by the Royal Flying Corps in 1913. The heritage centre
located on the former airfield holds a collection of contemporary
photographs, artefacts and memorabilia that tell the story of
RFC/RAF Montrose and the men and women who served there through two
world wars.
Situated at East Fortune
Airfield, which played a major role in both World Wars, the
National Museum of Flight covers both civil and military aviation.
The Fortunes of War exhibition uses personal testimony from RAF
crew, photographs, film and unique artefacts to recreate life at
this historic military airfield. Exhibits include a Sopwith Cuckoo,
the original painted gate from the Royal Naval Air Station and
relics from R34, East Fortune's record-breaking
airship.
This key engagement of the 1715 Jacobite Rebellion took place on high ground to the east of Dunblane on 13 November 1715.. The Earl of Mar's Jacobite army outnumbered the government forces, but the outcome was inconclusive. Both sides claimed victory, but it was a strategic win for the Hanoverians as the Jacobite advance was halted and the uprising faltered. Two monuments mark the site, much of which remains open farm and moorland, though parts have been covered by forestry
Housed within
Edinburgh Castle, the museum tells the story of Scotland at war,
from the field of battle to the Home Front, told through military
artefacts and personal collections. Displays include uniforms,
insignia and equipment, medals, decorations, weapons, paintings,
ceramics and silverware. Documents and photographs include both
private and regimental pictures, personal diaries and official
documents.
Perched on a
crag with cliffs on three sides, guarding what was once the lowest
crossing point on the River Forth, Stirling Castle was frequently
besieged. In the Scottish Wars of Independence the castle changed
hands eight times in 50 years, and two major battles – Bannockburn
and Stirling Bridge – were fought nearby. The castle exhibition
traces its fortunes and those of its royal residents including Mary
Queen of Scots. Among other attractions, the Argyll &
Sutherland Highlanders Regimental Museum holds exhibits and
memorabilia from conflicts worldwide, including the Boer War and
the First World War.
Built in the
13th century this now ruined castle was much contested in the Wars
of Independence. It was several times besieged, most famously by
Edward I in the great siege of 1301 using a siege engine called 'le
berefrey'. Edward prevailed but the Scots retook Bothwell after
Bannockburn. Following the last recorded siege in 1337 the castle's
great tower, or donjon, was split in half but what remains is still
impressive. It overlooks the River Clyde in South
Lanarkshire.
With its
dramatic situation high above the city and terrific views over the
Firth of Forth, Edinburgh Castle is one of Scotland's most visited
attractions. It dates from at least as far back as the 12th century
and by the 17th century its main role was as a military base. It
houses two regimental museums, The Royal Scots Museum and The Royal
Scots Dragoon Guards Museum, as well as the National Museum of War
and the Scottish National War Memorial, along with the famous Mons
Meg cannon and the One O Clock Gun.
The first battle of the 1745 Jacobite Rising proved a clear victory for the rebel Highlanders under Bonnie Prince Charlie. The defeat of the Government forces gave a great boost to the Jacobites who then marched into England. A cairn memorial marks the site of the battle which was fought on flat open land surrounded by marshes. Today parts of the battlefield have been developed but key features of the landscape, such as the wagonway running through the site, can still be seen
Standing on a headland on the
east coast, the castle was built in the 12th century as a residence
and fortress for the bishops and archbishops of St Andrews. It was
destroyed and rebuilt a number of times during the Wars of
Independence. Later it was used as a prison and the notorious
Bottle Dungeon, cut out of the rock, can still be visited. The
castle was also contested during the Scottish Reformation when John
Knox was one of the defenders in the great siege of 1546-7. Today
the castle is ruined but there is a visitor centre and
exhibition.
A key Scottish victory in the
Wars of Independence (1297). Scots forces led by Andrew Moray and
William Wallace swept down on the English troops that had just
crossed the narrow bridge at Stirling and inflicted a heavy defeat
upon them. The medieval wooden bridge stood just upstream from the
existing stone bridge. Much of the battlefield has been built over
but there is some open ground close to the bridge. The Wallace
Monument, upon Abbey Craig at the northern end of the bridge,
contains displays about the life of Wallace.
A decisive
battle in the Scottish Wars of Independence and an iconic Scottish
victory. Over two days in 1314 Robert the Bruce defeated Edward
II's larger English Army that had come to relieve Stirling Castle.
Edward was forced to flee and Bruce gained control of Scotland. The
Heritage Centre at the battlefield is being rebuilt ahead of the
700th anniversary and reopens in March 2014. A monument and a
statue of Robert the Bruce stand near the site of the first day's
battle; the location of the second day's action is a matter of
dispute.
An English victory, the first
major battle of the First Scottish War of Independence. For a brief
while it put an end to organised Scots resistance and gave
effective control of Scotland to Edward I. The battle, a brief but
decisive clash between mounted knights, took place to the south
west of the besieged Dunbar Castle. The battlefield, mostly
agricultural land, has seen little modern development but there is
no on-site memorial.