National Army Museum

Photo of an army helicopter suspended above an atrium. Photo of an army helicopter suspended above an atrium.
Photo by me, from the cafe.

I can’t fault the facilities at the National Army Museum - their galleries are immaculately laid out in an airy, bright and inviting building.

The museum is very closely affiliated with the army and I felt a little cynical about its purpose - rest assured you won’t be confronted with many difficult questions about their past activities.

Free

www.nam.ac.uk

Talks

Mavericks

Nick Higham shares the gripping story of a small band of British soldiers, diplomats, and spies sent on a risky mission to secure Baku in 1918.

Free

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Conflict Social History

Tales from the Archives

An archivist explains how the museum began in 1960 at Sandhurst, moved to Chelsea in 1970, and shows old photos and papers charting its growth.

Free

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Conflict

The Brigade of Guards in the Crimean War

Algernon Percy shares stories about the brutal winter faced by British troops in 1854–55, highlighting the Guards’ courage at Inkerman and why their part deserves more credit.

Free

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Conflict

On Strategists and Strategy

Lawrence Freedman looks back on ten years of thinking about war and strategy, weaving in his views on global leaders, nuclear risks and lessons from Covid.

Free

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Conflict

Related Attractions

Photo of the exterior of the Imperial War Museum. Photo of the exterior of the Imperial War Museum.
Photo by me.

Imperial War Museum

Located in Lambeth

At the risk of stating the obvious, the National Army Museum is about the army while the Imperial War Museum is about war.

As such I found the IWM to be a more sombre experience, you won’t see as many displays of colourful uniforms but will learn more about the depressing realities of conflict.

The IWM is also larger and focuses only on the 20th Century and onwards, allowing them to cover their subjects in more depth.