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  • 10.00am - 5.30pm
  • FREE
  • Chelsea, London

School Essentials

Parliamentarian soldiers at a tavern, c1645
Featured

British Civil Wars

Fought between 1642 and 1651, these wars were primarily disputes between Crown and Parliament about how the British Isles should be governed. But they also had religious and social dimensions, and witnessed the creation of the first national standing army.

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Rebel sepoys, 1857

Why did the Indian Mutiny happen?

In 1857, Indian soldiers rose up against their British commanders. The reasons behind the rebellion stretch back to the origins of British involvement in Indian affairs.

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Hudson's Horse at Rhotuck, 1857

Decisive events of the Indian Mutiny

The 1857 rising was the biggest threat to Britain's colonial power during its rule of the Indian subcontinent.

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Edward Walker: Eyewitness to civil war

Edward Walker: Eyewitness to civil war

We explore the papers of Sir Edward Walker, Secretary of War to King Charles I, who was at the heart of the Royalist effort during the British Civil Wars.

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WAACs on parade, c1917

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.

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‘A Welcome Arrival’, 1857

Drawn on the spot: War artists and the illustrated press

In Victorian Britain, it was the news of war rather than the antics of minor entertainment celebrities that boosted sales of newspapers.

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United Nations Korean War Medal

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.

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Patrolling the Malayan jungle, 1950s

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.

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'The Wipers Times', 6 March 1916

The Wipers Times: The soldiers’ paper

Full of the dark humour typical of soldiers at war, 'The Wipers Times' was one of the finest of many trench publications produced on the Western Front.

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Florence Nightingale at Scutari, 1856

Florence Nightingale: The Lady with the Lamp

Florence Nightingale was a legend in her own lifetime and one of the most famous women in British history.

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Boarding the troopship ‘Nevasa’ on route to Malaya, 1957

What was National Service?

National Service, a standardised form of peacetime conscription, was introduced in 1947 for all able-bodied men between the ages of 18 and 30.

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English pot helmet, 1640s

Battle of Naseby

Sir Thomas Fairfax led his troops to victory over King Charles I at the Battle of Naseby on 14 June 1645. His triumph won the First English Civil War (1642-46) for Parliament and ensured that monarchs would never again be supreme in British politics.

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Heavy guns on the Somme, 1916

Battle of the Somme

The 1916 Somme offensive was one of the bloodiest battles of the First World War. But it provided the Army with a tough lesson in how to fight a large-scale modern war.

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Explore School Essentials learning resources

Auxiliary Territorial Service personnel operating anti-aircraft defences, c1940
Quiz

KS2 (Ages 7 to 11)

Britain and the Blitz in the Second World War: Quiz

Put your knowledge of the Blitz to the test in this interactive quiz.

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Florence Nightingale in the Military Hospital at Scutari, 1855
Quiz

KS1 (Ages 5 to 7)

Florence and Mary in the Crimean War: Quiz

Put your knowledge of Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole to the test in this interactive quiz.

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British soldiers and locals watch the burning of Belsen, May 1945
Video

KS3-KS4 (Ages 11 to 16)

The Liberation of Bergen-Belsen

Uncover the story of the Army’s liberation of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp at the tail end of the Second World War in Europe.

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Outside an advanced dressing station at Tilloy-les-Mofflaines, Western Front, April 1917
Timeline

KS4-KS5 (Ages 14+)

Health and Medicine in the Army: Interactive Timeline

Uncover the history of medical developments in the British Army through this interactive timeline packed with nearly 200 sources.

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Indian Army troops travelling upstream on a barge, Mesopotamia, c1916
Timeline

KS3-KS5 (Ages 11+)

India, Empire and the Army: Interactive Timeline

Explore the history of the British Army in India and the British Empire's Indian armies through this interactive timeline packed with over 200 sources.

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Members of the Coldstream Guards during an infantry exercise in Germany, c1977
Timeline

KS4-KS5 (Ages 14+)

Britain, the Army and the Cold War: Interactive Timeline

Explore the British Army’s role in the Cold War through this interactive timeline packed with over 100 sources. 

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Black Poppy
Video

KS2-KS3 (Ages 7 to 14)

BlackPoppyRose at the National Army Museum

Explore the theme of remembrance and the service of African and Caribbean men and women in the British Army with BlackPoppyRose.

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A British medical orderly treats a wounded German soldier, c1916
Source Pack

KS3-KS4 (Ages 11 to 16)

Combat Stress 100

Explore mental wellbeing through the experiences of military veterans and their families.

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Women of the West Indies Auxiliary Territorial Service, c1944
Video

KS3-KS4 (Ages 11 to 16)

Virtual Exhibition: West Indian Soldier

Explore the history of Caribbean people in the British Army, and of the British Army in the Caribbean, through this virtual tour of the West Indian Soldier exhibition.

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Soldiers of the British West Indies Regiment, France, 1916
Timeline

KS3-KS4 (Ages 11 to 16)

West Indian Soldier: Interactive Timeline

Explore the history of Caribbean people in the British Army, and of the British Army in the Caribbean, through an interactive timeline.

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The Unknown Warrior prior to embarkation at Boulogne, 1920
Video

KS2-KS3 (Ages 7 to 14)

Virtual Exhibition: The Unknown Warrior

Discover the extraordinary story of the First World War’s Unknown Warrior through our virtual exhibition.

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Askaris moving a field gun into position, c1914
Source Pack

KS2-KS5 (Ages 7 to 18)

Black History in the National Army Museum Collections

Explore the history of black soldiers in the British Army through collection-based objects and stories.

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