National Army Museum

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National Army Museum We tell the story of the Army from the perspective of those who have served in it. Open Tuesdays to Sundays. Free for all.

Established in 1960 by Royal Charter, the National Army Museum is the United Kingdom’s leading authority on the history and traditions of the British Army. It explores the impact that soldiers from Britain, Ireland and the Commonwealth have had throughout the world, from the 17th century to the present day. Through its world-class collections, the Museum safeguards and shares the stories and values of ordinary people who have been called upon to bear extraordinary responsibilities on behalf of others.

📚 Behind Enemy Lines with Damien Lewis Join bestselling author and journalist Damien Lewis as he shares some of the rema...
14/10/2026

📚 Behind Enemy Lines with Damien Lewis

Join bestselling author and journalist Damien Lewis as he shares some of the remarkable true stories from his latest book, 'Behind Enemy Lines'.

📅 Wednesday 21 October, 6.30pm
🎟️ £20.00 (Members £16.00)

Captain Lewis 'Archie' Gibson served as a driver with the Long Range Desert Group. Operating deep behind enemy lines in North Africa, he took part in some of the Second World War’s most audacious missions.

Drawing on Gibson’s unpublished memoir, diaries, sketchbooks, letters and wartime reports, alongside previously unseen classified material, Damien Lewis reconstructs his extraordinary wartime experiences in vivid detail, revealing a story of courage, endurance, humour and comradeship.

🔗https://www.nam.ac.uk/whats-on/behind-enemy-lines-damien-lewis

Join us each Friday throughout October for our free lunch time talks. Each week we are joined by a new speaker who will ...
08/10/2026

Join us each Friday throughout October for our free lunch time talks.

Each week we are joined by a new speaker who will explore differant areas of military history.

All talks are also streamed live on YouTube and are available for you to catch up on if you can't join us in person.

What's coming up in October? 👇

🏥 the Lifesavers
🗓️ 9 October, 12.00 - 1.00
Roderick Bailey uncovers the little-known story of the medics at the forefront of groundbreaking battlefield care during the Second World War.

💂‍♂️ An Astonishing Infantryman
🗓️ 16 October, 12.00 - 1.00
Steve McCarthy recounts the extraordinary story of a real-life ‘Sharpe’, Lieutenant Colonel Jack Hill of the Royal Welch Fusiliers.

🧑‍⚕️ Nurses' Memories of The Great War
🗓️ 23 October, 12.00 - 1.00
Jerry Palmer explores the personal stories of nurses who served on all sides and various fronts during the First World War.

🙏 Embattled Belief
🗓️ 30 October, 12.00 - 1.00
Professor Michael Snape explores the role of religion in the modern British Army, from the Korean War to Afghanistan.

Book your free ticket for these talks on our website https://www.nam.ac.uk/whats-on

Chelsea History Festival is back🎊 Join us and our Chelsea Heritage Quarter partners for four fascinating days of history...
29/09/2026

Chelsea History Festival is back🎊

Join us and our Chelsea Heritage Quarter partners for four fascinating days of history and heritage talks and tours.

Here's whats happening at the National Army Museum on Sunday 4 October 👇

🕓 4.00 pm - The Wars of the Roses: War and Marital Culture in England ⚔️

Battles, betrayals, rival kings and shifting loyalties but what was it actually like to fight in 15th-century England? Join 2025 Templer Medal winner David Grummitt as he re-examines the warfare, politics and martial culture behind one of England’s most turbulent periods.

🕓 4.00 pm - No Future: Punk, Politics and British Youth Culture 🎸

From music and fashion to politics, protest and youth rebellion, punk transformed British culture during a period of huge social change. Join us for a fascinating look back at the movement that shook up a generation, marking 50 years since punk began.

🕛 12 pm - Holbein: Renaissance Master With Elizabeth Goldring 🎨

Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and Thomas Cromwell. Holbein captured them all—and shaped how we see the Tudor court 500 years later. Join Elizabeth Goldring to discover the man behind the masterpieces.

🕐 1 pm - Out of Silence: Musical performance and Spoken Word Recital 🎶

Music, poetry and stories of love, loss and resilience come together in Out of Silence, a moving recital bringing forgotten women war poets alongside the music of composers who experienced the conflict firsthand.

Explore the full program for this years festival at https://chelseaheritagequarter.co.uk/chelsea-history-festival/

🎉 Chelsea History Festival returns this week! 🎉Here's what's happening at the National Army Museum on Saturday 3 October...
29/09/2026

🎉 Chelsea History Festival returns this week! 🎉

Here's what's happening at the National Army Museum on Saturday 3 October 👇

🎟️ Book your tickets via https://chelseaheritagequarter.co.uk/chelsea-history-festival/

🕛12.00pm - Children of the Third Reich: Three Pasts, Three Futures with Catrine Clay

Born into the shadow of N**i Germany, surrounded by silence and secrets as kids — until, 50 years later, their lives unexpectedly converge. Join acclaimed historian Catrine Clay to hear their extraordinary stories of identity, memory and coming to terms with the past.

🕕6.00 pm - Did espionage win the Second World War?

Did spies, secret missions and codebreakers really change the course of the Second World War? Join us this CHF as leading historians uncover the truth behind some of the war's most remarkable intelligence operations.

🕓4.00 pm - Stealing Hitler's Rocket: Smuggling a V-2

How did Britain know about Hitler's V2 before it struck London? Join us this CHF as Guy Walters uncovers the extraordinary story of Polish resistance, secret intelligence and the race to prepare for Hitler's most terrifying weapon.🚀

🕑 2.00 pm - Warsaw: A City at War

Discover Warsaw's extraordinary six-year struggle through N**i occupation, the Ghetto Uprising, the Warsaw Uprising and the devastation of war. Join historians Prit Buttar and Lottie Taylor as they explore the city's remarkable story of resistance and resilience.

📚 Have you booked your tickets for the Chelsea History Festival yet?The festival brings together more than 100 talks, to...
26/09/2026

📚 Have you booked your tickets for the Chelsea History Festival yet?

The festival brings together more than 100 talks, tours and activities across four days.

Here are some of the highlights to look forward to on Friday 2 October 👇

🕛 12.00pm – Interrogating N**ism: Spies, Soldiers and War Criminals in the Second World War
Discover how Britain interrogated enemy spies, soldiers and war criminals in its efforts to defeat N**i Germany.

🕛 12.00pm – The Modern-Day Monuments Men: The Cultural Property Protection Unit
Discover the work of the Cultural Property Protection Unit and its role in protecting cultural heritage during conflict.

🕑 2.00pm – Silent Histories: Deafness in Early Modern England with Rosamund Oates
Explore life in Early Modern England through the experiences and history of D/deaf people.

🕓 4.00pm – Collapse: The Second World War from 1931 to 1941 with Jonathan Fennell
Discover a new global history of the opening decade of the Second World War, from 1931 to 1941.

🕕 6.00pm – Churchill's Inverailort House: The Birthplace of the Special Forces with Monty Halls
Discover the remarkable story of Inverailort House and the unconventional training that helped shape Britain’s Special Forces.

Explore the full programme of history events being held over four days at chelseaheritagequarter.co.uk

This Chelsea History Festival join David Grummitt as he explores the rebellions, battles and aristocratic rivalries know...
25/09/2026

This Chelsea History Festival join David Grummitt as he explores the rebellions, battles and aristocratic rivalries known as the War of the Roses.

Examine how and why people fought during the final years of Lancastrian and Yorkist rule.

Historian David Grummit analyses this great series of civil wars from a fresh perspective - considering warfare, chivalry and martial culture during a period of expanding royal authority and changing military technology in England.

Join us at the National Army Museum

📆 Sunday 4October, 4.00 - 5.00pm

🔗 Book your ticket at https://bit.ly/4dyEMF1

🎉 Chelsea History Festival returns next week! 🎉From Thursday 1 to Sunday 4 October, we’re joining our partners across th...
25/09/2026

🎉 Chelsea History Festival returns next week! 🎉

From Thursday 1 to Sunday 4 October, we’re joining our partners across the Chelsea Heritage Quarter for four days of history, with more than 100 talks, tours and activities.

The festival kicks off on Thursday, with a packed programme at the National Army Museum:

🕑 2.00pm – Out of Colditz with David Lascelles
Combining family history with the final days of the Second World War, David Lascelles tells the remarkable true story of Gottlob Berger, the SS official responsible for prisoner-of-war camps who inexplicably saved the life of the author’s father.

🕓 4.00pm – Battle: The Moments that Transformed Warfare from Ancient Greece to Ukraine
Join author and historian Iain MacGregor as he explores 3,000 years of warfare and the moments that transformed it.

🕓 4.00pm – The Last Bantam with Michael Hughes
This live performance tells the incredible story of Britain’s First World War ‘bantam’ soldiers – 30,000 men between 5ft and 5ft 3in who signed up to fight.

🕡 6.30pm – The History of Chelsea in Four Objects
Explore how Chelsea has continually reinvented itself through four remarkable objects from the neighbourhood’s leading cultural institutions.

🕡 6.30pm – Themistocles with Michael Scott
Join Michael Scott as he explores the fascinating rise and fall of Athens’ naval mastermind, Themistocles.

🎟️ Explore the full Chelsea History Festival programme and book your tickets:
https://chelseaheritagequarter.co.uk/

Fear on London’s Darkest Streets with Robin Jarossi and Sarah Bax Horton 😱The Blackout and Thames Torso Killers are two ...
24/09/2026

Fear on London’s Darkest Streets with Robin Jarossi and Sarah Bax Horton 😱

The Blackout and Thames Torso Killers are two of the most notable murderers of modern times. Sadistic and mercurial, each criminal eluded detectives while triggering panic in central London. Robin Jarossi and Sarah Bax Horton reveal how those very different series of crimes were investigated and finally solved.

📍 National Army Museum
📆 Thursday 1st October, 2.00 - 3.00pm
🎟️ £15.00

🔗 Book your tickets at https://bit.ly/4rs6r03

Did Espionage Win the Second World War?Join us at the Chelsea History Festival as leading historians will examine whethe...
23/09/2026

Did Espionage Win the Second World War?

Join us at the Chelsea History Festival as leading historians will examine whether spies, secret missions and intelligence operations genuinely changed the course of the Second World War.

Did intelligence gathering and covert action decisively influence the course of the conflict, or has their importance sometimes been exaggerated?

Historians Daniel Cowling, Helen Fry and Roderick Bailey examine the realities behind some of the war’s most remarkable intelligence stories. Together, they will explore the work of specialist units, professional agents and civilians, asking how far espionage shaped military decisions and the eventual outcome of the war.

🪖 National Army Museum
📅 Saturday 3 October, 6.00pm - 7.00pm
🎟️ £15.00

🔗 https://chelseaheritagequarter.co.uk/chf-2026/did-espionage-win-the-second-world-war/

17/09/2026

During Chelsea History Festival, join Jonathan Fennell as he discusses the first part of his landmark global history of the Second World War with his new volume: Collapse: A Global History of the Second World War, 1931-1941

📆 Friday 2 Oct 2026, 4.00pm - 5.00pm
🎟️ £15.00 (plus £2 booking fee per transaction)

🔗Link for tickets: https://bit.ly/46lGZjd

Address

Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea
London
SW34HT

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 10am - 5:30pm
Thursday 10am - 5:30pm
Friday 10am - 5:30pm
Saturday 10am - 5:30pm
Sunday 10am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+44 20 7730 0171

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