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Monday 10am - 4:30pm Tuesday 10am - 4:30pm Wednesday 10am - 4:30pm Thursday 10am - 4:30pm Friday 10am - 4:30pm Saturday 11am - 4:30pm

Royal Signals Museum

Name: Royal Signals Museum
Address: Blandford Camp, Blandford Forum, DT118BJ, GB
Telephone: 01258 482248
Price range: £

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Royal Signals Museum

Dorset's interactive museum of army communications, telling the story of the Royal Corps of Signals. Why were pigeons so important to the British Army?

Explore Corps history from anywhere in the world via our free digital Bloomberg Connects guide. A true gem nestled in the beautiful countryside of North Dorset, The Royal Signals Museum traces the fast-paced and complex history of The Royal Corps of Signals from its origins in "C" Telegraph Troop, Royal Engineers and its contributions to every major conflict since WWI, right up to the challenges i

ts personnel face in an age of sophisticated digital warfare. The Museum also traces the wider story of military communications from ancient times to the present day. For those with curious minds, there are so many reasons to visit...ever wondered how secret agents were trained in WWII? What was life like as a Secret Agent with the SOE in France and what equipment did you have to help you escape… if you were caught? What was it like laying cables under fire on the front? What was Enigma and why was it so important? The answers to all these questions and more can be found at The Royal Signals Museum! Based in Blandford Camp, the Museum offers the unique experience to “rub shoulders” with serving soldiers and after two successful lottery bids the exhibitions are modern, high tech and interactive. Visitors can drive an armoured vehicle through a virtual landscape, guide a laser beam, "direction find" the enemy, set up a satellite network, learn about encryption and practice Morse code. The Royal Signals is not just about communications – in fact, this is just the tip of the iceberg! How do you intercept enemy transmissions? How can you jam radio traffic or block potential IEDs? What are Electronic Warfare (EW) and Electronic Counter Measures (ECM)? What is Cyber Warfare, what are the threats and how can we protect ourselves? There is only one place to find out – at the Royal Signals Museum! Children will love the hands on activities and prize winning family fun trails and the whole family can enjoy some refreshments at the Comms Cafe. Plus, the Museum boasts a popular, well-stocked shop with a wide range of books, souvenirs, toys and clothing featuring the Signals Badge and Corps colours. At only £22 for a family ticket (2 adults + 2 children) the museum offers amazing value and hours of entertainment. From code-breaking to Cyber, espionage to Electronic Warfare, spies to satellites...the Royal Signals Museum has it all! Please remember: Adults (16+) must bring ID as the Museum is in the middle of a military camp!

03/09/2026

𝗕𝗘𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗗 𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗠𝗬 𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗦: 𝗔𝗡 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗕𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗦𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗔𝗨𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗥 𝗗𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗘𝗡 𝗟𝗘𝗪𝗜𝗦 𝗔𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗢𝗬𝗔𝗟 𝗦𝗜𝗚𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗦 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗘𝗨𝗠

Author Damien Lewis is coming to the Royal Signals Museum on Tuesday 3 November to give a talk about his new book, 'Behind Enemy Lines.'

Lewis will bring to life the extraordinary story of Captain Lewis ‘Archie’ Gibson, a pioneering member of the Long Range Desert Group whose daring missions took him deep behind enemy lines during the Second World War.

An unmissable evening for anyone fascinated by military history and Special Forces.

Tickets will be on sale from Monday 7th September through Eventbrite.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/behind-enemy-lines-a-talk-by-best-selling-author-damien-lewis-tickets-1999026727755?aff=oddtdtcreator%0D

28/08/2026

𝗜𝗡 𝗠𝗘𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗔𝗠

The Corps has sadly lost two of its most celebrated veterans recently.

Sir Billy Boston passed away aged 92 in his adopted home of Wigan. Billy was born in 1934 in Tiger Bay. He was approached by Wigan Rugby League Club in 1934 whilst doing his National Service in the Royal Corps of Signals in the north of England. He played on the wing for Wigan for 15 years scoring a record 478 tries in 488 appearances. Billy was a member of a winning Challenge Cup team three times and played 31 tests for Great Britain, scoring 24 tries.

He received the freedom of Wigan in 2000 and is immortalised in three statues in Wigan, Wales, and at Wembley. Sir Billy received an MBE in 1996 and was knighted by the King in June 2025.

𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗻

Jack Mann was the last surviving veteran of the World War II Long Range Desert Group (LRDG).

He passed away this month at the age of 100. Jack was born in Cairo in 1925, his father died four days before his birth. Despite this, he and his family had a happy childhood in Egypt. He initially served with the Royal Corps of Signals before becoming a radio operator for the Long Range Desert Group in North Africa.

Following his time in the LRDG, Jack’s wartime service included operations with the Special Air Service (SAS), the Special Boat Squadron (SBS) and the Special Operations Executive (SOE). Later he rejoined the Royal Signals, was trained as an instructor and sent first to Libya to teach a signals course, and then to Cyprus. He was discharged from the Army in 1947.

In civilian life Jack was employed in the shipping industry and later in the chemicals division of General Tire and Rubber. He lived in northwest London with his wife of 54 years, Helga.

21/08/2026

𝗦𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗧 𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗦!

The Museum shop is continuing to add new products to its range of clothes, toys, books, models and Royal Signals memorabilia.

We now have Dorset chocolate and fudge for sale alongside our biscuit range — perfect for a little treat or a tasty souvenir!

Visit the Museum this summer and explore our fascinating collections, discover more about the history of the Royal Signals, and don’t forget to browse the shop for something special to take home.

14/08/2026

𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗣𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚

It is five years since ‘Operation Pitting’ –the UK’s emergency evacuation from Kabul, Afghanistan. The Museum holds accounts from some of the personnel involved, including Junior Jones.

“Operation Pitting was a humanitarian operation to extract individuals who were eligible for safe passage to the UK from Afghanistan. The whole operation lasted less than a month and was regarded as a massive success due to the number of people that were relocated. From 216 (Para) Signal Squadron, 6 JNCO’s, 2 SNCO’s and OC 216 deployed to establish and maintain BG HQ and Bde HQ.

The situation on the ground is one that was simply termed as the 'wild west' and it earned that title with flying colours. Days were long, on average 3-4 hours of sleep for most of us. Before you crack on with your day, you just take a moment to appreciate the things in your life and really put your problems into perspective.

There are people we couldn't extract, people who are still there who left everything behind to take their families to the airport in hope to leave behind the threat of the Taliban. They then had to survive days of being in crowded areas with limited food or water under the beating sun.

The initial target was for 1,500 people to be extracted. We extracted 15,000. All British Troops who deployed, came home. We returned with the knowledge that we achieved something incredible. And of that I am deeply proud.”

𝗣𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝘀

Personnel deploying at RAF Brize Norton to assist with the drawdown of British nationals in Afghanistan.

UK Armed Forces personnel at Kabul Airport.

07/08/2026

𝗞𝗢𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗡 𝗪𝗔𝗥 𝗩𝗘𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗡 𝗩𝗜𝗦𝗜𝗧

94 year old Ian Mathison visited the Museum today with his son. Ian served in the Korean War - 1950 to 1953 - as one of a 100 newly trained Royal Signals wireless operators. Initially serving with 16th Infantry and later with The Royal Fusiliers HQ as a Lance Corporal, he managed a team of five running a rear link communications detachment near the front line.

Ian was involved in the Third Battle of the Hook and was shelled in bunkers on Hill 159 and later Hill 277. At one point he stayed behind as the Americans moved into the lines to carry on talking over the radio net. This was done so that Chinese monitors didn’t hear any American accents and know an inexperienced unit had moved in. Ian did a full tour of duty and the war’s end was announced on the first day of his return journey on 27 July 1953.

As part of his visit, Ian gave an interview about his experiences and more of his story will feature in the coming weeks.

𝗣𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝘀
At the Museum in front of the Korean War display case
Ian in his bunker, November 1952

31/07/2026

𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗔𝗤𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡: 𝗠𝗔𝗝𝗢𝗥 𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗠𝗖𝗚𝗨𝗦𝗧𝗬

Last week, the Museum received a fascinating collection of documents and photographs relating to Major Honour McGusty OBE.
During the Second World War, Honour served with the Royal Signals, providing communications support for clandestine operations in the Far East. She ran listening stations monitoring Japanese communications and recruited local women to assist in this crucial intelligence work.

Before the war, Honour trained as a beautician and even counted Wallis Simpson among her clients. In later life, she settled in Blandford, where she lived until her death in 1999. Friends remembered her as a "force to be reckoned with."

We will now begin cataloguing and conserving this remarkable collection before creating a new display showcasing Honour's wartime service.

Honour's story joins the many inspiring accounts of women's courage featured throughout the Museum. If you're visiting this summer, be sure to explore our Women at War displays and discover the incredible stories of the courageous women of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during the Second World War.

24/07/2026

𝗞𝗟𝗢𝗞 𝗣𝗢𝗘𝗗𝗘𝗥

This concealed 'soap radio' receiver was built by members of the Dutch resistance during the German occupation of the Netherlands. It has recently gone on display in the Museum.

Hidden inside a container of household cleaning powder, the receiver enabled people to secretly listen to BBC broadcasts. On 13 May 1943, the German occupation authorities ordered all civilian radios to be surrendered. From that point, possessing a radio was illegal and could result in severe punishment, including imprisonment.

The cylindrical container is labelled 'KLOK POEDER' (“Clock/Bell Powder”), a common Dutch household cleaning product used to disguise the radio and avoid suspicion.

Homemade receivers like this were essential for accessing reliable news beyond N**i propaganda. One of the most important broadcasts was Radio Oranje, a Dutch-language programme transmitted by the BBC from London between 1940 and 1945. Known as the “Voice of the Netherlands at War,” it provided news, encouragement, and messages of hope to people living under occupation.

17/07/2026

𝗦𝗨𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗥 𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗗𝗔𝗬𝗦!

Step into history this summer at the Royal Signals Museum and experience our brand-new immersive exhibition, 'Cold War in the Shadow of the Bomb.'

Travel through one of the most dramatic periods of modern history, from 1946 to the fall of the Berlin Wall, with powerful stories, artefacts, and interactive displays that bring the Cold War to life.'

Discover:
- Personal accounts from Royal Signals soldiers who served with the British Army of the Rhine
- Military communications equipment and clothing from the Greenham Common protests
- A striking recreation of part of the Berlin Wall
- An iconic East German Trabant car, generously on loan from Haynes Motor Museum

Whether you're a history enthusiast or looking for an inspiring family day out, there's something for everyone to explore this summer. Visit the Royal Signals Museum and uncover the stories that shaped the modern world.

10/07/2026

𝗩𝗜𝗦𝗜𝗧 𝗕𝗬 𝗦𝗜𝗠𝗢𝗡 𝗛𝗢𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗠𝗣

Simon H***e MP visited the Museum yesterday, touring the new Cold War exhibition with Museum Director Fritha Costain. He also explored the permanent galleries and went behind the scenes in the Corps Archive to view historic books and records.

Simon has a personal connection to the Royal Signals, as his father served with the Corps during National Service. We are grateful for his continued support and advocacy of the Museum.

08/07/2026

𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗚 𝗖𝗨𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗢𝗥'𝗦 𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗧𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧: 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗜𝗠𝗟𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗘𝗥𝗥𝗘𝗧

The Royal Signals Museum has recently hosted Thomas, a work experience student who chose the Ferret Armoured vehicle as an item of special interest. It is one of eight vehicles on display in the Museum and Thomas describes some key facts about it below.

The Daimler Ferret Mark 1/1 scout car was developed by the Daimler company, the 4x4 Ferret was introduced in 1952 to succeed the highly successful World War II ‘Dingo’. It went on to participate in every major deployment for over 40 years.
The Ferret consisted of a 4400 kg monocoque hull with a robust 126 bhp Rolls-Royce B60 engine. This made it capable of reaching a speed of 93km/h. It had innovative pre-selective transmission offering 5 gears in both forward and reverse, allowing for lightning fast getaways if spotted.

The Museum’s Ferret is dressed in United Nations Service white, which is the colour the vehicle was in when it was deployed to patrol the buffer zone in Cyprus during the mid-to-late 20th century. Equipped with C13 HF and B47VHF radio transceivers, it served as a vital mobile communication lifeline in the field, making it one of the era’s finest light reconnaissance assets.

Address

Blandford Camp
Blandford Forum
DT118BJ

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 4:30pm
Tuesday	10am - 4:30pm
Wednesday	10am - 4:30pm
Thursday	10am - 4:30pm
Friday	10am - 4:30pm
Saturday	11am - 4:30pm

Telephone

01258 482248

Website

http://www.royalsignalsmuseum.co.uk/

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