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On November 11, 2018 I attended the ceremony at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI. It was powerful, reverent, and really gave a dignified example of how a nation can remember its losses and celebrate its veterans. The next day, I went to the Imperial War Museum. It was initially created during WWI to be a repository of artifacts from The Great War. Eventually it grew to be the place of rememberance and reflection for all of Great Britain’s wars since 1914. The museum has grown to include several locations, including a cruiser on the Thames, Churchill’s war bunkers, and a retired Royal Air Force base, but this article will focus on the downtown London location near Waterloo station.
Vital Information
The Imperial War Museum is open every day from 10:00am to 6:00pm and is closed December 24th, 25th, and 26th. Admission is totally free. Photography is allowed in most galleries, but turn off that flash, and check the signage. Lambeth North and Elephant & Castle are the closest tube stops.
Go see the elephant, but give yourself plenty of time.
There is a LOT of stuff at the Imperial War Museum. I feel it would be a hard task to get through the whole thing in a day. If you are a cannon freak like I am, the twin 15 inch guns out from from HMS Ramillies and HMS Resolution out front will keep your attention for a while. Then when you get inside, it can be a bit overwhelming. Getting one of the for sale souvenir guidebooks for GBP 16.50 (approx $20USD) is useful. It is a bit pricey, but it gives the vitals on what level you need to go to, and a lot of background on why each collection is curated the way it is. I gave myself about four hours and really only got through the First World War Galleries with a fast breeze though one of the WWII galleries.
It’s a long way to Tipperary
The First World War galleries are some of the most impressive military museum exhibitions I’ve seen. Seeing how the Imperial War Museum was specifically created to remember WWI, this makes sense. The exhibit design goes beyond the traditional “look at all these objects we have” with a few maps on the wall. They do put up a lot of objects, but put them in spaces that emphasize the context.
For example, near the beginning they show a display case of the uniforms of the various armies in 1914. Next to it is a computer animation showing the effects of charging into modern weaponry while wearing those uniforms. There was no gore and the animated soldiers were deliberately not lifelike. Playing alongside the animation was surround sound of bullets, explosions and the groans of wounded men. The sensory experience was chilling, but not repulsive, and very very effective. Another display showing the crossfire pattern of two machine guns for one second of sustained fire gave a tangible sense of how deadly no man’s land was. An interactive exhibit about rolling bandages and packing meat tins in a factory showed the war’s colossal logistics effort. All of these displays were appropriate for almost all age groups.
There is plenty of “oh wow they actually have this” when it comes to the artifacts. My personal “oh wow”, was the life preserver and nightgown from a passenger on the Lusitania. This combination of artifacts with interactive ways to put them in context is superb. A space alien with no understanding of human history could walk though and come out with a solid foundation of WWI, including the causes that lead up to it, and the echoes of its aftermath.
The life preserver and nightgown from a passenger on the RMS Lusitania. 
British army rum ration jug. It fits with the theme of the website.
Other fronts.
Unfortunately, I just did not have enought time to dig in to the rest of what the Imperial War Museum had to offer. The WWII galleries had some impressive large objects, including the entire forward fuselage of a Lancaster bomber that visitors could walk inside. I particularly geeked out over the rowboat from the Dunkirk evacuation. There are several gift shops in addition to the galleries, including a large one dedicated only to books and publications. The souvenirs were of particular high quality. I purchased some hand crocheted poppy pins, a bust of Churchill, and a bag of ration candies. Lots of items were made in Great Britain, and included some context of why the museum was selling them. Finally, the museum has a cafe, but there is a lovely chippy, The Castle Fish Bar, right around the corner.
A century’s worth of museums.
I could plan an entire vacation to Britain around the Imperial War Museum London and the other IWM locations. If I’m lucky, I probably will. Go and enjoy what I thought was the finest military museum I saw in Europe. There are others with broader scope, and certainly more objects, but IWM really does some fabulous exhibit design and curation. When you go, don’t be overwhelmed, really soak in the exhibits and their excellent design. Even if you are not into military history, this is worth a visit.
Also I’m writing this on November 11th, so may you have a peaceful and reflective Veteran’s Day or Armistice Day.
