Explore

Delve deeper into stories of the Army and its soldiers, exploring events across the globe and down the centuries.

King Thibaw talking to the British chief political officer in the garden of his palace in Mandalay, 1885

Around the World

A timeline of Burma and the Army

Britain’s armies had an enduring and decisive role in Burma from the early 19th century until the country’s independence in 1948.

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Field Marshal Viscount Garnet Wolseley, 1910

Garnet Wolseley: The modern major-general

Field Marshal Garnet Wolseley won important victories in several colonial campaigns. Owing to his reforming zeal and attention to detail, the phrase ‘All Sir Garnet’ came to mean everything’s in order.

Douglas Haig: The chief

Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig commanded the British Army when it achieved arguably its greatest victories, those over the Germans on the Western Front. But for many his leadership was marked by unacceptable losses.

Model of a London and North Eastern Railway engine, c1943

A prisoner’s model masterpiece

A British prisoner of war’s model train, painstakingly made from scraps of rubbish, sheds light on the experiences of soldiers incarcerated in Germany during the Second World War.

Queen’s Colour of 6th Battalion The King’s African Rifles, c1958

The regimental system

The regiment or corps is the key administrative component of the British Army. Each has its own history, traditions and insignia. To its soldiers, the regiment is a military family that provides comradeship and a distinct identity.

Christmas greetings from the front line

Here we look at some of the Christmas cards sent by soldiers during the First World War, and how they helped ease the pressures of life on the front line.

Brass bilge-pump valve salvaged from the wreck of HMT 'Birkenhead', 1852

Women and children first

Several objects from our collection reveal a remarkable tale of self-sacrifice and steadfast military discipline during one of the 19th century’s most infamous maritime disasters.

A First World War Christmas

Soldiers throughout the First World War found ways to maintain morale and mark the festive season while separated from their loved ones.

Formation badge of 30 (XXX) Corps, c1941

British Army organisation

Do you know your brigades from your battalions? Learn more about the organisation of the British Army and the tactical formations it has deployed on campaign.

Antony Mallaby's dressing gown with formation badges sewn on it, c1943

Dressing gowns that earned their stripes

A child’s dressing gowns, decorated with patchworks of military badges, reveal a moving story of growing up in Britain during the Second World War and the loss of a beloved parent.

Lieutenant Colonel Campbell Clark, 104th Regiment of Foot (Bengal Fusiliers), c1877

A lucky escape

A rare tunic from the Indian Rebellion holds a death-defying tale of gruesome gunshots, troublesome timepieces and a remarkable recovery.

Parliamentarian soldiers at a tavern, c1645

The war on Christmas

In 1647, Christmas was almost cancelled as the Long Parliament and its army tried to banish all festivities that smacked against the sober Puritan values of the period.

Allied soldiers on the roof of a captured A7V tank, 1918

1918: Year of victory

The German Spring Offensive saw mobile warfare return to the Western Front. Despite early gains, the Germans exhausted themselves, setting the stage for a successful Allied counter-offensive.

Stories of remembrance

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