Aldershot Military Museum

Aldershot Military Museum in Aldershot Military Town in Hampshire was conceived by former Aldershot Garrison Commander, the late Brigadier John Reed. The Museum was opened by HRH The Duke of Gloucester in 1984 and is housed in the only two surviving barrack bungalows built in the " 'North Camp' " area of Farnborough in the 1890s. The Museum tells the story of the British Army in Aldershot, the " 'Home of the British Army' ", from the Army's arrival in the area in the 1850s to the present.

Galleries

In 1908, Farnborough was the site of Britain's first powered flight by the American, Samuel Franklin Cody. The "Cody Gallery" includes a reconstruction of part of Cody's Farnborough workshop and artifacts such as Cody's original flying helmet can be seen in this display.

The "Montgomery Gallery" building once stood in the grounds of Field Marshal Montgomery's home at Isington near Alton. It was built for him in 1947 to house his war time caravans and was moved to the museum in 1995 and houses some of the museum's collection of larger exhibits of field guns and other vehicles, including tanks.

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 British Army, a Victorian shop, information on the French Imperial Family, the construction of Farnborough Abbey and the pottery industry of Farnborough and Cove.

The Boyce Building

Officially opened in November 2006, this 1930s wooden barrack block came from Queen Elizabeth Barracks, Church Crookham, and was once the home of the Regimental Administration Offices for the camp. Carefully reconstructed [http://www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/nwh_gfx_en/ART41661.html] 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, Royal Army Medical Corps, Royal Corps of Transport and many battalions from the Brigade of Gurkhas before closing in 2000.

External links

* [http://www3.hants.gov.uk/aldershot-museum Details of Aldershot Military Museum]
* [http://www.armymuseums.org.uk/museums/0000000010-Aldershot-Military-Museum.htm Aldershot Military Museum on the Ogilby Trust]
* [http://www.aboutbritain.com/AldershotMilitaryMuseum.htm AboutBritain.com entry on Aldershot Military Museum]
* [http://www.rushmoor.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=203 Rushmoor Borough Council entry for Aldershot Military Museum]
* [http://www.friendsamm.hampshire.org.uk/ Friends of Aldershot Military Museum]