Aldershot Military Museum in Aldershot Military Town in Hampshire, England was conceived by former

Aldershot Garrison Aldershot Garrison, also known as Aldershot Military Town, is a major garrison in South East England, between Aldershot and Farnborough in Hampshire. The garrison was established when the War Department bought a large area of land near the vill ...

Commander, Brigadier John Reed (1926–1992). Reed believed that it was essential to preserve the history of the military town and founded the Aldershot Military Historical Trust to raise funds for the establishment of the Museum. Reed acquired the two Victorian barrack bungalows in which the Museum is still based. The Museum was opened by

The Duke of Gloucester Duke of Gloucester () is a British royal title (after Gloucester), often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; the curren ...

in 1984 and is housed in the only two surviving barrack bungalows built in the "North Camp" area of

Farnborough Farnborough may refer to: Australia * Farnborough, Queensland, a locality in the Shire of Livingstone United Kingdom * Farnborough, Hampshire, a town in the Rushmoor district of Hampshire, England ** Farnborough (Main) railway station, a railw ...

in the 1890s. The Museum tells the story of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

in Aldershot, the "Home of the British Army", from the Army's arrival in the area in the 1850s to the present day. It also acts as the local history museum for the civil towns of

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alder ...

and Farnborough, which form the modern Borough of

Rushmoor Rushmoor is a local government district and borough in Hampshire, England. It covers the towns of Aldershot and Farnborough as well as Cove and North Camp. It was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the borough of Aldershot and the Farnbo ...

. In 2014, ownership of the Aldershot Military Museum was transferred to the Hampshire Cultural Trust as part of a larger transfer of museums from

Hampshire County Council Hampshire County Council (HCC) is an English council that governs eleven of the thirteen districts geographically located within the ceremonial county of Hampshire. As one of twenty-four county councils in England, it acts as the upper tier of ...

and Winchester City Council. The M and N Block barrack buildings date to 1894 and are Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

s as they are the only surviving examples of their type.

Galleries

The Museum's military gallery tells the story of the Military Town of Aldershot from 1854 to the present day, including the development of the early military camp, through to

Aldershot Command Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alders ...

and the current

. The gallery was completely refurbished in 2001, thanks to a grant from the

Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

, and at that time was renamed the ''John Reed Gallery'' in memory of the Museum's founder. The ''Montgomery Gallery'' building once stood in the grounds of Field Marshal Montgomery's home at

Isington Isington is a hamlet in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It lies just south of the A31 road, a mile (1.6 km) southwest of the village of Bentley and four miles (6.4 km) northeast of the market town of Alton. At the 20 ...

near Alton, Hampshire. It was built for him in 1947 to house his wartime caravans and was moved to the museum in 1995; it houses part of the museum's collection of larger exhibits of field guns and other vehicles, including tanks and armoured cars. The ''Rushmoor Local History Gallery'' tells the story of Aldershot and Farnborough, and the people and businesses associated with those towns. In this gallery are displays about George Potters, drum makers to the

; a Victorian shop; and information on the French Imperial Family, the construction of Farnborough Abbey and the pottery industry of Farnborough and Cove. In 1908, Farnborough was the site of Britain's first powered flight by the American,

Samuel Franklin Cody Samuel Franklin Cowdery (later known as Samuel Franklin Cody; 6 March 1867 – 7 August 1913, born Davenport, Iowa, USA)) was a Wild West showman and early pioneer of manned flight. He is most famous for his work on the large kites known a ...

. The ''Cody Gallery'' includes a reconstruction of part of Cody's Farnborough workshop, and displays artefacts such as his flying helmet.

The Boyce Building

Officially opened in November 2006, this 1930s wooden barrack block came from

Queen Elizabeth Barracks, Church Crookham Queen Elizabeth Barracks was a military installation at Church Crookham, Hampshire, England. History The barracks, which were originally known as Boyce Barracks after Major William Wallace Boyce, DSO, RAMC, were built as a training depot for th ...

, and was once the home of the Regimental Administration Offices for the camp. Carefully reconstructed at the museum thanks to a £50,000 Heritage Lottery grant, the Boyce Gallery explores the users of the barracks which was once home to the

Royal Army Service Corps The Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) was a corps of the British Army responsible for land, coastal and lake transport, air despatch, barracks administration, the Army Fire Service, staffing headquarters' units, supply of food, water, fuel and do ...

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps ...

Royal Corps of Transport The Royal Corps of Transport (RCT) was a British Army Corps established to manage all matters in relation to the transport of men and material for the Army and the wider Defence community. It was formed in 1965 and disbanded in 1993; its units and ...

and many battalions from the

Brigade of Gurkhas The Brigade of Gurkhas is the collective name which refers to all the units in the British Army that are composed of Nepalese Gurkha soldiers. The brigade draws its heritage from Gurkha units that originally served in the British Indian Army ...

before closing in 2000.

Gallery

File:Aldershot Military Museum N Block.jpg, The N Block barracks of 1894 are Grade II

s and house the museum File:Aldershot Military Museum M Block.jpg, The M Block barracks of 1894 are Grade II

s and house the museum File:Aldershot Military Museum archives.jpg, The barrack hut houses the museum archive File:Aldershot Military Museum Victorian Barrack.jpg, Reconstruction of a Victorian barrack room File:Aldershot Military Museum 1950s Barrack.jpg, Reconstruction of a 1950s barrack room File:Aldershot Military Museum Cody Display.jpg, The Cody Gallery File:Aldershot Military Museum Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle.JPG, An interactive Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle File:Aldershot Military Museum Uniform.JPG, A uniform gallery in the museum File:Aldershot Military Museum Montgomery Barn.JPG, The Montgomery Gallery houses a collection of historic vehicles File:Aldershot Military Museum Tank Display.JPG, Chieftain and Challenger tanks are among the museum's collection of military vehicles

References

External links

*
Aldershot Military Museum on the Ogilby TrustFriends of the Aldershot Military Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aldershot Military Museum Army museums in England Museums in Hampshire Museums established in 1984 Military in Aldershot Buildings and structures in Aldershot 1984 establishments in England Grade II listed buildings in Hampshire