Donnington Historic Weapons Collection facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Donnington Historic Weapons Collection |
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Part of the Donnington Historic Weapons Collection Display
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| Housed at | Combined Military Services Museum |
The Donnington Historic Weapons Collection is a special group of weapons. These weapons were gathered over many years at a place called MoD Donnington in Shropshire, England. Today, you can see this amazing collection at the Combined Military Services Museum in Maldon, Essex, England.
How the Collection Started
MoD Donnington used to be a very important storage area. It held all the weapons used by the British Army. One of its jobs was to get rid of old or captured weapons. Most of these old weapons were turned into scrap metal.
However, over the years, some items were too special to be scrapped. They were kept because they were rare or had a lot of history. This is how the collection began to grow.
What's in the Collection?
The collection grew to include over 700 different items! These range from everyday civilian and sporting guns to weapons captured from other countries. It's like a timeline of weapons history.
Finding a New Home
In 2010, the Ministry of Defence made a big decision. They decided to give the entire collection to a public museum. This meant more people could see and learn from it.
Kevan Jones, who was a MP and a government minister at the time, helped with this decision. He suggested that the Combined Military Services Museum in Maldon, Essex would be the perfect place.
The museum even received a special grant from the Big Lottery Fund. This money helped them build new spaces to show off the collection. Now, everyone can visit and explore these historic weapons.
The Grand Opening
The official opening of the Donnington Historic Weapons Collection at the museum happened in April 2010. Kevan Jones, the minister who helped make it happen, was there to open the display to the public.
