1900s

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.

Kenya Emergency

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

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.

The last British troops to leave India, 1948

Independence and Partition, 1947

The birth of India and Pakistan as independent states in 1947 was a key moment in the history of Britain’s empire and its army. But the process of partition was attended by mass migration and ethnic violence that has left a bitter legacy to this day.

Stepping into line

As the entire nation mobilised for the First World War, women took up new challenges. Many of these opportunities had previously been off limits, including military service.

Weapons of the Western Front

During the First World War, armies were forced to adapt their tactics and pursue new technologies as a way of breaking the deadlock. Here, we explore some of the weapons used by the British Army on the Western Front.

Drawn on the spot: War artists and the illustrated press

In Victorian Britain, it was the news of war rather than celebrity scandal that boosted the sale of newspapers.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Malayan Emergency

The Malayan Emergency (1948-60) was one of the few successful counter-insurgency operations undertaken by the Western powers during the Cold War.

Explore 1900s events

School students getting to grips with the handling collection

Secondary

1 Jun 2024 - 18 Jul 2025 FREE

The Cold War: Mission reconnaissance

Find out about key events during the Cold War and discover Brixmis, the secret reconnaissance arm of the British Army in occupied Germany.

Mission accomplished? Comparing First World War battles

Secondary

1 Jun 2024 - 18 Jul 2025 FREE

Mission accomplished? Examining First World War battles

Investigate four key battles through primary sources and decide whether they can be considered victories or defeats.

Part of a First World War propaganda poster showing a soldier and a munitions worker

Primary

1 Jun 2024 - 18 Jul 2025 FREE

Your Country Needs You! Propaganda and recruitment (virtual)

Explore how advertising and propaganda work, particularly focusing on recruitment campaigns of the First World War.

Secondary

1 Jun 2024 - 18 Jul 2025 FREE

World at War: Soldiers of Empire

Discover more about the contributions of soldiers from the British Empire in the First and Second World Wars.

Secondary

1 Jun 2024 - 18 Jul 2025 FREE

Recruitment and conscription

Analyse recruitment posters from the Museum's collection and multimedia recreations of First World War parliamentary debates to explore the history of Army recruitment and conscription.

A British medical orderly treats a wounded German soldier, c1916

Secondary

1 Jun 2024 - 18 Jul 2025 FREE

Trench medicine: Illnesses, injuries and their treatment (virtual)

Explore artefacts and sources on the causes and treatment of injuries and illnesses on the Western Front during the First World War, and assess the impact of these innovations.

Your Country Needs You! Propaganda and recruitment

Primary

1 Jun 2024 - 18 Jul 2025 FREE

Your Country Needs You! Propaganda and recruitment

Explore how advertising and propaganda work, particularly focusing on recruitment campaigns of the First World War.

Secondary

1 Jun 2024 - 18 Jul 2025 FREE

Trench medicine: Illnesses, injuries and their treatment

Explore artefacts and sources on the causes and treatment of injuries and illnesses on the Western Front during the First World War, and assess the impact of these innovations.

Explore 1900s learning resources

Video

1900s

Defeat in the West

Kenya Emergency

Cyprus

Independence and Partition, 1947

Stepping into line

Weapons of the Western Front

Drawn on the spot: War artists and the illustrated press

The Troubles

Death or glory: Famous cavalry charges

The struggle for North Africa

Korean War

Malayan Emergency

Explore 1900s events

The Cold War: Mission reconnaissance

Mission accomplished? Examining First World War battles

Your Country Needs You! Propaganda and recruitment (virtual)

World at War: Soldiers of Empire

Recruitment and conscription

Trench medicine: Illnesses, injuries and their treatment (virtual)

Your Country Needs You! Propaganda and recruitment

Trench medicine: Illnesses, injuries and their treatment

Explore 1900s learning resources

Walter Tull: A Soldier’s Story

Shirley Hamilton: ATS Servicewoman

Britain and the Blitz in the Second World War: Quiz

Britain, the Army and the Cold War: Interactive Timeline

The Liberation of Bergen-Belsen

Operation Science: Signals

The story of conscription

Easter Rising 1916

Commonwealth soldiers in Palestine

Commonwealth soldiers in East Africa

Commonwealth soldiers on the Western Front

Commonwealth soldiers at Gallipoli