1900s

Aden Emergency

Aden Emergency

The Aden Emergency (1963-67) was an insurgency against British rule in the south of the Arabian Peninsula. The unrest hastened British plans for withdrawal and marked the end of 20 years of decolonisation.

British infantry vehicles advancing, Iraq, 1991

Gulf War

The war against Iraq in 1990-91 saw the largest single deployment of British troops since the Second World War. Altogether, about 35,000 British servicemen and women served in the campaign.

The Battle of El Alamein, 1942

Second Battle of El Alamein

Fought in October-November 1942, this was the climax and turning point of the North African campaign of the Second World War. The armies of Italy and Germany suffered a decisive defeat by the British Eighth Army.

9th Hodson's Horse in General Chauvel's march through Damascus, 1918

Battle of Megiddo

Fought in September 1918, this was the climactic battle of the Sinai and Palestine campaign of the First World War. Ottoman forces found themselves encircled by British Empire forces under General Edmund Allenby.

A 25-pounder of 45 Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, fires at enemy positions on the Imjin, 1951

Battle of the Imjin River

Fought in April 1951 during the Korean War, the Battle of the Imjin was the bloodiest engagement endured by the British Army since the Second World War.

The Cameron Highlanders at Loos, 1915

Battle of Loos

The Battle of Loos took place on the Western Front in September-October 1915. At the time, it was the largest British offensive of the First World War.

Mark I tank C19 in Chimpanzee Valley during the Battle of Flers Courcelette, 1916

Attack of the tanks

In September 1916, the face of battle changed forever. On an unsuspecting enemy, Britain unleashed its new secret weapon - the tank.

Ration party, Menin Road, 1917

Battle of Passchendaele

In July 1917, the British and French launched a massive offensive near the Belgian city of Ypres. The bitter struggle that followed came to symbolize the horrors of trench warfare.

Units of the Dutch Brigade moving up to the attack, 1944

Victory in Europe

During 1944-45, the Allies endured months of fighting against a determined enemy. This bloody struggle eventually ended in the final defeat of Nazi Germany.

A Jewish refugee ship in Palestine, 1947

The British Army in Palestine

In the aftermath of the Second World War (1939-45), the British Army in Palestine confronted an escalating conflict between two rival nationalist movements – Jewish and Arab.

German soldiers raise the swastika at the Acropolis, Athens, April 1941

War in the Balkans

In 1941, the Axis powers invaded Yugoslavia and Greece. British and Commonwealth intervention and evacuation followed, before a vicious partisan conflict broke out.

Coastal defence, 1940

Home Front

Following the fall of France in the summer of 1940, Britain was faced with the threat of invasion. Soldiers played a vital role in defending the shores and skies.

Explore 1900s events

School students getting to grips with the handling collection
Secondary
1 Jun 2024 - 20 Jul 2026 FREE

The Cold War: Mission reconnaissance

Find out about key events during the Cold War and discover Brixmis, the secret reconnaissance arm of the British Army in occupied Germany.

Mission accomplished? Comparing First World War battles
Secondary
1 Jun 2024 - 20 Jul 2026 FREE

Mission accomplished? Examining First World War battles

Investigate four key battles through primary sources and decide whether they can be considered victories or defeats.

Your Country Needs You! Propaganda and recruitment
Primary
1 Jun 2024 - 20 Jul 2026 FREE

Your Country Needs You! Propaganda and recruitment

Explore how advertising and propaganda work, particularly focusing on recruitment campaigns of the First World War.

A British medical orderly treats a wounded German soldier, c1916
Secondary
1 Jun 2024 - 20 Jul 2026 FREE

Trench medicine: Illnesses, injuries and their treatment (virtual)

Explore artefacts and sources on the causes and treatment of injuries and illnesses on the Western Front during the First World War, and assess the impact of these innovations.

Recruitment and conscription
Secondary
1 Jun 2024 - 20 Jul 2026 FREE

Recruitment and conscription

Analyse recruitment posters from the Museum's collection and multimedia recreations of First World War parliamentary debates to explore the history of Army recruitment and conscription.

School students getting to grips with the handling collection
Secondary
1 Jun 2024 - 20 Jul 2026 FREE

World at War: Soldiers of Empire

Discover more about the contributions of soldiers from the British Empire in the First and Second World Wars.

School students getting to grips with the handling collection
Secondary
1 Jun 2024 - 20 Jul 2026 FREE

Trench medicine: Illnesses, injuries and their treatment

Explore artefacts and sources on the causes and treatment of injuries and illnesses on the Western Front during the First World War, and assess the impact of these innovations.

Part of a First World War propaganda poster showing a soldier and a munitions worker
Primary
1 Jun 2024 - 20 Jul 2026 FREE

Your Country Needs You! Propaganda and recruitment (virtual)

Explore how advertising and propaganda work, particularly focusing on recruitment campaigns of the First World War.

Explore 1900s learning resources

Walter Tull character actor
Video

Walter Tull: A Soldier’s Story

Explore the life and times of Walter Tull, one of Britain’s first black army officers, who served during the First World War.

Shirley Hamilton: ATS Servicewoman
Video

Shirley Hamilton: ATS Servicewoman

Explore the contribution of Caribbean women who joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) during the Second World War.

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

Britain and the Blitz in the Second World War: Quiz

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

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

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. 

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

The Liberation of Bergen-Belsen

Explore the British Army's liberation of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp and the substantial relief effort which followed.

Operation Science: Signals
Video

Operation Science: Signals

Step into the world of Army signalling and discover some of the methods soldiers have used to communicate.

The story of conscription
Video

The story of conscription

Explore the story of conscription from its origins before the First World War, through National Service and beyond.

Easter Rising 1916
Video

Easter Rising 1916

Watch experts from museums in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland sharing their thoughts on objects from our Easter Rising collection.

Commonwealth soldiers in Palestine
Video

Commonwealth soldiers in Palestine

Discover the diverse range of soldiers who contributed to Britain's First World War effort in Palestine.

Commonwealth soldiers in East Africa
Video

Commonwealth soldiers in East Africa

Discover the diverse range of soldiers who contributed to Britain's First World War effort in East Africa.

Commonwealth soldiers on the Western Front
Video

Commonwealth soldiers on the Western Front

Discover the diverse range of soldiers who contributed to Britain's First World War effort on the Western Front.

Commonwealth soldiers at Gallipoli
Video

Commonwealth soldiers at Gallipoli

Discover the diverse range of soldiers who contributed to Britain's First World War effort at Gallipoli.