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!
Based in Deepcut Camberley, the RLC museum tells the story of logistical support to the British Army from the time of Oliver Cromwell to the present. Here the visitor can examine how over the last 500 years the soldier has been transported, fed, supplied with arms and equipment and kept in touch with loved ones.
A ruined Norman motte-and-bailey castle at
Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire, England. The castle was besieged in
1216 during the civil war between King John and rebel barons,
backed by France. It was successfully taken after Prince Louis, the
future Louis VIII, attacked it with siege engines for twenty days,
leading the garrison to surrender. Reclaimed by royal forces the
subsequent year.
The Museum in Arbourfield Garrisn Readign reflects the proud history and role of the Corps of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. Spread over a four and a half acre site, the Museum has a comprehensive collection of artefacts and exhibits illustrating the extensive scope of the REME Tradesman’s responsibilities and activities in maintaining and repairing the Army’s inventory of equipment. The spectacular displays include examples of wheeled, tracked and armoured recovery and repair vehicles, medals, pictures and one of the finest small arms collections in the country
AIR FORCE MEMORIAL RUNNYMEDE (1939-45)
The Air Forces Memorial at Runnymede
commemorates by name over 20,000 airmen who were lost in the Second
World War during operations from bases in the United Kingdom and
North and Western Europe, and who have no known graves. They served
in Bomber, Fighter, Coastal, Transport, Flying Training and
Maintenance Commands, and came from all parts of the Commonwealth.
Some were from countries in continental Europe which had been
overrun but whose airmen continued to fight in the ranks of the
Royal Air Force.
Brookwood Military Cemetery is the largest Commonwealth war cemetery in the United Kingdom, covering approximately 37 acres. It contains over 5,000 commonwealth burials from the world wars, approcimately 800 ofrom other nations including the American WW1 Cemetery. The Brookwood Memorial commemorates 3,500 men and women of the land forces of the Commonwealth who died during the Second World War and have no known grave, and not commeorated on any of the campaign memorials.
Odiham Castle is one of only three
fortresses built by King John during his reign. IT is possible that
he rode out from Odiham to Runnymede where he met the barons and
signed the Magna Carta. A year later Odiham Castle was captured by
the French after a two-week siege during the First Barons' War in
1216. The garrison of just 13 surrendered on July 9 1216
The Eastbourne Redoubt was built between 1804 and 1810 to support the associated Martello towers in defending against the threat of an invasion by Napoleon. It is now the largest military museum in south east England. It contains military collections of The Royal Sussex Regiment who moved to the museum in 1983, The Queen's Royal Irish Hussars and the founding collection, the Sussex Combined Services. In addition the museum also features displays on the History of the British Army, the Life of the Redoubt display and a model of the Redoubt Fortress.
The museum tells the story of the home of the British Army from 1854 to the present day, as well as the local history of Aldershot and Farnborough. From the Victorian Soldier to National Service, the museum uses photographs, models, displays and ‘hands on’ activities to give an insight into a soldier’s domestic and military life.
Housed in the National Trust property of Clandon Park, the museum tells the story of England’s senior infantry regiment and its antecedent three county regiments of Surrey in a comprehensive display of important objects covering the period 1661 to the present day.
During the Second World War,
Bletchley Park was the site of the United Kingdom's main decryption
establishment, the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS),
where ciphers and codes of several Axis countries were decrypted,
most importantly the ciphers generated by the German Enigma and
Lorenz machines. The high-level intelligence produced at Bletchley
Park, codenamed Ultra, provided crucial assistance to the Allied
war effort. The Bletchly Park museum's main collection of objects
relating to the wartime codebreaking effort include the rebuilt
bombe, and the Enigma collection. It also contains Stephen Kettle's
1.5-ton, life-size statue of Alan Turing, which was unveiled at
Bletchley Park in 2007.
The two battles of St Albans were
key events in the Wars of the Roses. The first battle of the Wars
of the Roses took place in the centre of St Albans. The First
Battle of St Albans, fought on 22 May 1455, traditionally marks the
beginning of the Wars of the Roses. Richard, Duke of York and his
ally, Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, defeated the Lancastrians
under Edmund, Duke of Somerset, who was killed. With King Henry VI
captured, the parliament appointed Richard, Duke of York, Lord
Protector. The Second Battle of St Albans was fought on 17 February
1461. The army of the Yorkist faction under the Earl of Warwick
attempted to bar the road to London north of the town. The rival
Lancastrian army used a wide outflanking manoeuvre to take Warwick
by surprise, cut him off from London, and drive his army from the
field. The victors also released the feeble King Henry, who had
been Warwick's prisoner, from his captivity.
The Shuttleworth Collection is one of the
most prestigious aeronautical museums in the world due to the
variety of old and well-preserved aircraft. These inlcude the
world's oldest aeroplane with the earliest aero-engine in flying
condition, a 1909 Bleriot XI of the same type used by the RFC in
1914. Other airtcraft in the collection include orginal and repleca
WW1 and WW2 aircraft. It is located at the Old Warden airfield in
Bedfordshire, England.
Established by the Royal Flying Corps in
1916, North Weald Bassett Aerodrome became RAF North Weald and was
an important fighter station in the Battle of Britain. Now a
civilian airfield it still has an original hangar from 1927. The
museum focuses on those who served at North Weald in both world
wars, including the American and Norwegian squadrons stationed
there in the Second World War. There is a memorial with an obelisk
given by the people of Norway in 1952.
This museum preserves and presents the heritage of several Yeomanry (Volunteer cavalry) units in the South East of England. The museum is currently based in TA Centres in South London but is expected to move to Hever Castle Kent.
The Royal Engineers Museum is the corps
museum covering the story of the Royal Engineers and military
engineering.
The Battle of Maidstone was fought in the Second English Civil War and was a victory for the attacking parliamentarian troops over the defending Royalist forces. Several buildings had=ve surived and can be interpreted with a guide.
The Regimental musuem of this fine county Regiment, Maidstone Museum and Art Centre..
Strategically placed astride the London
Road, this imposing fortress guarded an important crossing of the
River Medway. In 1215, garrisoned by rebel barons, the castle
endured an epic siege by King John. Having first undermined the
outer wall, John used the fat of 40 pigs to fire a mine under the
keep, bringing its southern corner crashing down. Even then the
defenders held on, until they were eventually starved out after
resisting for two months.
The Battle of Britain Memorial is a
monument to aircrew who flew in the Battle of Britain. It is sited
on the White Cliffs at Capel-le-Ferne, near Folkestone, on the
coast of Kent. Also on the site are replicas of a Hawker
Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire and the Christopher
Foxley-Norris Memorial Wall, on which appears the names of the
almost 3000 fighter aircrew who flew in the Battle.
Newhaven Fort is a Palmerston fort built in the 19th century to defend the harbour at Newhaven, on the south coast of England. It was the largest defence work ever built in Sussex and is now open as a museum. It is home to the Sussex & Surrey Yeomanry Museum Collection
The Eastbourne Redoubt was built between 1804 and 1810 to support the associated Martello towers in defending against the threat of an invasion by Napoleon. It is now the largest military museum in south east England. It contains military collections of The Royal Sussex Regiment who moved to the museum in 1983, The Queen's Royal Irish Hussars and the founding collection, the Sussex Combined Services. In addition the museum also features displays on the History of the British Army, the Life of the Redoubt display and a model of the Redoubt Fortress.
The Chapel, which is an active church, is
situated on the Main Road (A233) north of Biggin Hill village. The
entrance is flanked by full-scale replicas of a Hurricane and a
Spitfire.
Based on the Former RAF Station Hawkinge,
the nearest Royal Air Force station to enemy-occupied France and
only some ten minutes flying time away from the Luftwaffe fighter
airfields in the Pas-de-Calais and in range of German shore
batteries stationed along the French coast. Not for nothing was the
Folkestone area known as "Hellfire Corner". Despite the passing
years today's visitor can still savour the atmosphere of the
airfield's past with the landmarks and buildings that remain,
acting as points of reference, whilst beyond can be seen the
English Channel and the French coast. The volunteer run museum has
a fine collection of battle of Britian memoribilia as well as
historic and replica aircraft.
One of two main battles of the the Second Barons' War. It marked the high point of the career of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, and made him the "uncrowned King of England." The royalists fled back to the castle and priory and the King was forced to sign the Mise of Lewes, ceding many of his powers to de Montfort.
The Shoreham Aircraft Museum was founded in
1978 by local enthusiasts. The Museum houses hundreds of
aviation relics excavated by the group over many years from crashed
British and German aircraft, as well as items which have been
kindly donated.
Pevensey Castle was first documented as a Saxon Shore fort. According to the Anglo Saxon Chronicle it was besieged and captured by the Saxons in 491 AD. It was a key location in the 1066 invasion occuped by Harold and William durign the course of the year. In medieval times the Norman castle was beseiged in the rebellion by Willaim Rufus and again in the wars between Stephen and Matilda and the refuge for Henry III's troops after the defeat at Lewes. Even in WW2 the fortifacations of the castle were improved by the addition of bunkers and pill boxes.
During the reign of Aethelred the Unready.
Earl Byrhtnoth and his thegns led the English against a Viking
invasion. The battle ended in an Anglo-Saxon defeat. An account of
the battle, embellished with many speeches attributed to the
warriors and with other details, is related in an Old English poem
which is usually named The Battle of Maldon. A modern embroidery
created for the millennium celebration in 1991 and, in part,
depicting the battle, can be seen at the Maeldune Centre in
Maldon.
This is the only airfield from the First World War preserved in its original form. It was home to No 37 Home Defence squadron RAF then RAF. The winner of the popular vote in the 2012 Heritage Angel, the airfield is being preserved as a home for flyable WW1 era aircraft. Visits can be made by prior arrangement.
The Historic Dockyard, Chatham is a stunning 80 acre site with historic buildings, museum galleries, historic warships and a vibrant programme of events and activities. It has a supurb collection of warships and displays
Richborough is one of the most important
Roman sites in Britain. One of the landing places of the Roman army
in AD43, Rutupiae Portus, went on to become one of the main supply
bases for the Roman troops. As conquest over the British became
certain, the base was turned into a town with a triumphal,
monumental arch celebrating the empire's military success. Today,
you can see the remains of this arch, the large defensive ditches
surrounding the fort and the remains of the old store
rooms.
Upnor Castle is an Elizabethan artillery fort located in the village of Upnor, Medway, South East England. Its purpose was to defend ships moored "in ordinary" on the River Medway outside Chatham Dockyard.It was tested on 12 June 1667 whern the Dutch raided the fleet anchored off Chatham taking HMS Royal Charles and destroying omany others.
Probably the most famous battle in English
history, the Battle of Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066
between the Norman-French army of Duke William II of Normandy and
an English army under the Anglo-Saxon King Harold II, during the
Norman conquest of England. The main part of the battlefield is on
the land of Battle Abbey managed by English Heritage. There are
several key locations outside the Battle Abbey site which need
intepretation by a guide
The Battle of the Medway was probably the larghest battle to take place on British soil. It took place in 43 AD on the River Medway in the lands of the Iron Age tribe of the Cantiaci, now the English county of Kent. It was an early battle in the Claudian invasion of Britain, led by Aulus Plautius. Four Roman Legions and auxliaries took on a force of Britons. The battlefield is subject to speculation but can be interpreted with a guide.
The story of the former RAF station at Manston is told via two musuems. The Spitfire & Hurricane Memorial Museum at Manston Airfiekld is based around the gate guardian aircraft. There is a seperate RAF Manston History Museum in Manston Road Ramsgate. The airfield was the tagrte for several attacks by the Luftwaffe durign the battle of Britian..
The medieval castle t was founded in the 12th century and has been described as the "Key to England" due to its defensive significance throughout history. It is the largest castle in England. It was besieged in 1216-1217 in the wars following the signing of Magna carta. The defence of the castel o n behlaf of King John was an epic, aider by the guerilla warfare wager by Wicken of the Weald, a prototype for Robin Hood.