• 10.00am - 5.30pm
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  • Chelsea, London
  • 10.00am - 5.30pm
  • FREE
  • Chelsea, London

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Pages from the diary of Captain Philip Townsend
A Soldier's Life

In Their Own Words: Captain Philip Townsend

Philip Townsend was an Irish gentleman. In 1756, he travelled to North America, where he fought against the French in the Seven Years War. His diary provides an insight into frontier warfare and the assault on Louisbourg.
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Coastal defence, 1940

Home Front

Following the fall of France in the summer of 1940, Britain was faced with the threat of invasion. Soldiers played a vital role in defending the shores and skies.

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Awaiting evacuation, Dunkirk, 1940

Defeat in the West

In the summer of 1940, the Germans defeated France and drove the British out of Western Europe. Following their evacuation from Dunkirk, the British found themselves facing the threat of invasion.

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On patrol during the Kenya Emergency, c1955

Kenya Emergency

The Kenya Emergency, or Mau Mau Revolt, was one of the British Army's bloodiest and most controversial post-war conflicts.

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Rebel sepoys, 1857

Why did the Indian Mutiny happen?

In 1857, Indian soldiers rose up against their British commanders. The reasons behind the rebellion stretch back to the origins of British involvement in Indian affairs.

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Hudson's Horse at Rhotuck, 1857

Decisive events of the Indian Mutiny

The 1857 rising was the biggest threat to Britain's colonial power during its rule of the Indian subcontinent.

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Storming of Amoy, 1841

First China War

Between 1839 and 1842, British-Indian forces fought a war with Imperial China that served the interests of opium smugglers. Their resulting victory opened up the lucrative Chinese trade to British merchants.

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Armoured car in Cyprus, 1950s

Cyprus

In the early 1950s, a revolt in favour of union with Greece began in British-controlled Cyprus. British troops remain on the island to this day as part of a United Nations peacekeeping force.

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Edward Walker: Eyewitness to civil war

Edward Walker: Eyewitness to civil war

Sir Edward Walker was Secretary at War to King Charles I during the British Civil Wars. His papers provide a first-hand account of the Battle of Lostwithiel and offer many other illuminating insights on the wider conflict.

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A bomb disposal officer and infantry officer patrol West Belfast, 1992

The Troubles

Troops were sent to Northern Ireland in 1969. They ended up staying there for nearly 40 years in what became the British Army's longest ever deployment.

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The charge of the Heavy Brigade at Balaclava, 1854

Death or glory: Famous cavalry charges

Cavalry charges might win a battle, but with poor leadership they could end in disaster. Many are remembered and celebrated because of the risk involved, whether successful or not.

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The infantry advance at El Alamein, 1942

The struggle for North Africa

The grim struggle that rolled back and forth across the North African desert from 1940 to 1943 resulted in the first major Allied victory of the Second World War.

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United Nations Korean War Medal

Korean War

In 1950, the Cold War significantly heated up, with the outbreak of the Korean War. The three year long struggle left millions dead, and its legacy still has explosive global impact today.

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