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

Detail from a commemorative poster to mark the 50th anniversary of VE/VJ Day, 1995

War and Peace

Victory over Japan

On 15 August 1945, the British government broadcast news of Japan’s unconditional surrender. This date was declared Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day) and people from all walks of life celebrated the official end of the Second World War.

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Shako plate, 40th (2nd Somersetshire) Regiment, c1855

40th (2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot

This infantry unit was formed in 1717. It continued in service until the 1881 British Army reforms, when it became part of The Prince of Wales’s Volunteers (South Lancashire Regiment).

82nd Regiment of Foot (Prince of Wales’s Volunteers)

This infantry unit was raised in 1793. It continued in British Army service until the 1881 reforms, when it became part of The Prince of Wales’s Volunteers (South Lancashire Regiment).

Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps

This medical unit provided nursing services to British Army personnel across the world. Although formed in 1902, its origins dated back to Florence Nightingale's pioneering nursing work during the Crimean War. In 2024, it merged with two other corps to form the Royal Army Medical Service.

Passing German prisoners of war when moving up to the Aller, Germany, April 1945

Countdown to victory

In the spring of 1945, Allied armies began their final advance into the heart of Nazi Germany. After weeks of intense fighting, they secured victory, ending the most destructive war in Europe's history.

Tipu Sultan’s war turban

A rare helmet belonging to one of India's greatest warrior princes sheds light on the relatively unknown Mysore Wars, a series of conflicts in the late 18th century that helped decide the political future of southern India.

SAS troops storming the Iranian Embassy, 1980

Iranian Embassy siege

One of the most famous counter-terrorism operations in history took place in 1980. Gunmen overran the Iranian Embassy in London and took hostages, but the crisis was resolved when the building was stormed by the SAS.

A gun of the Elswick Battery during the advance from Lydenburg to Watervalonder, 1900

Boer War artillery volunteers

A rare Boer War naval gun, one of only three of its type remaining in Britain, sheds light on the largely unknown role of artillery volunteers in the South African war.

Female prisoners after their liberation, Belsen, April 1945

The liberation of Belsen

As the British Army advanced into the heart of Nazi Germany in the spring of 1945, its soldiers were confronted with the full horrors of the Holocaust at the notorious Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

Crimean War Victoria Cross recovered from the River Thames foreshore in 2015

The unsolved mystery of the Thames VC

A Victoria Cross found on the shores of the River Thames in 2015 is the subject of an ongoing mystery. Research has since narrowed down the list of possible owners to two heroic soldiers of the Crimean War.

HM The Queen opening the National Army Museum at Sandhurst, July 1960

A brief history of the National Army Museum

This video takes you on a whistle-stop tour of the National Army Museum's origins and evolution, from its founding at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst to its transformation in 21st-century Chelsea.

The Queen's Gurkha Regiment assist with the construction of NHS Nightingale, 2020

In case of emergency

As soldiers are mobilised to help public services deal with the coronavirus pandemic, we explore how Britain has often had to rely upon the Army at times of emergency.

Women’s Royal Army Corps

Formed in 1949, this corps was the women’s branch of the British Army. Its members undertook a variety of important roles until 1992, when its remaining personnel were integrated into the Adjutant General's Corps.

Stories of alliance

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