Places to go
Wax that moustache and get out and about to some of these inspiring places.
Imperial War Museum
The Victoria Cross and George Cross room houses the Museum's collections of these supreme awards for military and civil gallantry. The centrepiece of the display is the 13-pounder "Nery" gun and the three Victoria Crosses won by its crew during the Battle of Mons.
Among the George Crosses are those won by resistance hero Wing Commander FF Yeo-Thomas, the "White Rabbit", and by Lieutenant Robert Davies, who saved St Paul's Cathedral by defusing a bomb which fell close by during the Blitz.
Also, opened to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the Battle of El Alamein, is a permanent exhibition called Monty: Master Of The Battlefield, which documents the life and career of Field Marshal Montgomery, one of the great battlefield commanders of the second world war.
Among the items on display are one of Montgomery's school reports and his football cap, his infantry officer's sword which he carried during the first world war, extracts from his diary written during the evacuation from Dunkirk in 1940, top secret planning documents drawn up by him for the D-Day landings in 1944, his orders, decorations and medals (including the diamond-encrusted Order of Victory awarded to him by Stalin), and the surrender document signed by the Germans at Montgomery's headquarters on Lüneberg Heath in May 1945.
Address: Lambeth Road
Imperial War Museum North
Here visitors can see the award-winning Big Picture Show – a 360° audio-visual experience and a unique way for visitors to access the museum’s world-renowned collections of photography, art and sound. Continually changing images are projected onto the gallery walls, floor and visitors themselves, creating a total, immersive environment. The images are accompanied by music, sounds and reminiscences from the oral history archives, creating unforgettable shows where the strength of human spirit is shown. The Big Picture Show runs every hour on the hour from 11am.
Also showing is the exhibition Against the Odds: The Story Of Bomber Command In The Second World War, which runs until January 7, 2007. It tells the extraordinary story of Bomber Command, featuring the experiences of air and ground crew, as well as WAAFs and aircraft factory workers from Trafford Park. Hear about the preparation behind the plans, the essential ground crew who helped make the operations possible, the aircraft and the experience of those who flew in them.
Address: Imperial War Museum North, The Quays, Trafford Wharf, Trafford Park, Manchester
British Library
A group of men who kept stiff upper lips were those on Captain Scott's expedition to the Antartic from 1901-1904. His diaries document the heroic attitude and scientific activities of these polar explorers at the turn of the century. Scott's last diary documents the most harrowing stage of his return journey from the Pole. By the end of March, he recognises that there is no hope of survival and he commends the spirit of the men. Scott’s diary can be seen in case 21 of the John Ritblat gallery, along with Leonardo da Vinci's notebook and the Lindisfarne Gospels, which goes some way in explaining its importance.
Address: 96 Euston Road
Kew National Archives
The National Archives holds a wide range of military and historical documents relating to British battles. The Crimean War of 1854 is best remembered as the subject of a famous poem entitled The Charge Of The Light Brigade by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, about the Battle of Balaklava. The lines "Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die" have made the charge a symbol of warfare at both its most courageous and its most tragic – an embodiment of the stiff upper lip.
Included at the archive is a casualty return document for the period including the Battle of Balaklava which shows how many men were killed or injured. There are numerous other letters and documents that give an insight into military operations.
Address: The National Archives, Ruskin Avenue, Kew, Richmond
