Imperial War Museum: A Profile
Exhibition of British Involvement in Twentieth Century Conflicts
This exhibition centre explores the two world wars and all conflicts involving Britain and the Commonwealth during the 20th century and into the 21st century.
This is not a museum of the distant past. Many of the people involved in the conflicts examined at the Imperial War Museum are alive today. Many still remember the two world wars and many are still living through the terrors of modern warfare.
The Large Exhibits Gallery is the starting point of the exhibition where, as the name implies, large items such as guns, missiles, tanks and aircraft are housed. On display are examples of artillery used during the world wars including an 18-pounder, the standard British field gun. Also on display are a British 9.2-inch howitzer and a 60-pounder gun, which had a very long range (for the time) of seven miles. One of the many planes hanging overhead is the Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 (Bleriot Experimental). This was a British single-engine two-seater biplane used by the Royal Flying Corps during World War I.
World War I
The gallery devoted to World War I looks at all aspects of this conflict including its causes which were complicated and are still the subject of on-going debate among historians. The exhibition also examines the cost of war, the place of women, the use of propaganda materials, the Eastern and Western Fronts and war in the air. There is also a section devoted to painters, poets and writers of the war.
World War II
In the World War II gallery visitors can explore all angles of the conflict from the "Phoney War", to the Battle of Britain, from the Home Front and the Blitz to what life in Europe was like under the Nazis.
Home Front 1940-1945 looks at life in Britain. Life was hard with the constant threat of air raids, rationing, food shortages and a severe lack of raw materials. The Blitz Experience represents a bombed street with an air-raid shelter, a very common sight in the 1940s. Through smells, sights and sounds visitors gain an insight into what the Blitz was like.
The Holocaust Exhibition (in a separate area) looks at the rise of Hitler and follows Nazi persecution of Jews, Gypsies, Poles, Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals, disabled people and others. This heart-rending exhibition is not recommended for children under 14.
As we know World War II was not "the war to end all wars". The exhibition highlights conflicts around the world since 1945 that Britain and the Commonwealth have been involved in including Korea, Malaya, Indonesia, Iran and Iraq.
The Children's War
The Children's War was the highlight of this writer's visit. This exhibition explores the impact of war on children through the eyes of children. What were the air raids like and what was it like to wear a gas mask? What was the blackout like? Did you have a Morrison Shelter in your living room or an Anderson Shelter in the garden? What was it like to be evacuated? All this and more is explored through letters, diaries, photographs and recordings. The centre-piece of the exhibition is the 1940s House where children, and adults, can see what daily life was like on the home front.
The museum also houses art galleries and temporary exhibitions. Currently showing until 1st March 2009 is For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming and James Bond. (Entry fee applies.)
Entry to the Imperial War Museum is free with admission charges for special exhibitions. Their website gives full details of opening times and prices where applicable.
