Imperial
War Museum, London, UK
The
IWM is the most impressive collection of war memorabilia I have seen.
Collections include clothes, uniforms, gas masks, wartime advertising and
personal artefacts such as ration books. They tell personal stories of wartime,
have an exhibition on the holocaust and show exhibitions of wartime art and
photography. They also have a bombing simulation in a reconstruction of a
bombed street in 1940 where you can experience being bombed. Not nice, but very
interesting. IWM is open daily and entry is free.
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| Imperial War Museum, London |
Museum
Haus am Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin, Germany
The
Checkpoint Charlie Museum focuses on the erection, meaning of, effects and
dismantling of the Berlin Wall between 1961 and 1990. The wall divided East and
West Berlin and it is estimated that over 200 people died in their attempts to
escape from East Berlin. The museum showcases parts of the Berlin Wall and
tells the stories of those who escaped. Modern day Berlin is a young city with lots happening and some great places to stay too. It is open daily and entry is €12.50.
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| Haus am Checkpoint Charlie Museum, Berlin |
JEATH
Museum, Kachanburi, Thailand
JEATH
stands for Japan, England, America, Australia, Thailand and Holland, which
represent the nationalities of the prisoners of war forced to work on the
construction of the famous Bridge on the River Kwai. The museum is on the bank
of the river, near the bridge, and displays items used in the railway’s
construction in 1942-3. The museum features graphic photos of the conditions
the POWs lived in and real accounts written by survivors. The museum is small but worth a visit and the town of Kachanburi, where it is situated, is only a few hours drive west of Bangkok. The museum is open
daily and entry is 30 Baht.
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| Bridge over the River Kwai, Kachanburi |
Barbados
Museum, Bridgetown, Barbados
Being
educated in the UK I never heard about Barbados’ involvement in the world wars,
but my eyes were opened by a visit to the Barbados Museum. Their military gallery shows the
military milestones from the 17th century to the Barbados Defence
Force’s development in the 1970s. The museum showcases military regalia,
armaments, medals and photographs and a list of the names of Barbados
servicemen who lost their lives in the world wars. It is open daily and entry is $11.50.
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| Barbados Museum, Bridgetown |
HMS
Belfast, London, UK
The HMS
Belfast is a navy ship that is permanently moored on the Thames. It has been
preserved as it was in use, with some areas, such as the galley featuring models
depicting a reconstruction of life onboard the ship. Sleeping quarters,
officers’ quarters, the wheelhouse and engine rooms are all on show. Exploring
HMS Belfast offers a fascinating insight into life onboard a navy battleship
during world war 2 and is convenient to visit being in central London.. It is open daily and £14.
Have you been to any impressive war museums that are not on this list? Please share your recommendations in the comments below.
Photo credits: drbexl, graziano88, David Holt London, plusgood, Andrea_44, David Jones
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| HMS Belfast, London |
Have you been to any impressive war museums that are not on this list? Please share your recommendations in the comments below.
Photo credits: drbexl, graziano88, David Holt London, plusgood, Andrea_44, David Jones
