Royal Marines Museum facts for kids
The Victorian boathouse at Portsmouth Dockyard which was due to become the home of the Royal Marines Museum in 2020
|
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Established | October 1958 |
|---|---|
| Location | Portsmouth Dockyard, Hampshire, England |
The Royal Marines Museum tells the amazing story of the Royal Marines. They are a special part of the British military. The museum shows their history from when they started in 1664 until today. It is a registered charity and part of the National Museum of the Royal Navy. Right now, the museum's main display areas are closed. They are getting ready to move to a new location.
Contents
Exploring Royal Marines History
The museum first opened in October 1958. It was located at Eastney Barracks in Portsmouth. This building was originally built in the 1860s for the Royal Marine Artillery. From 1972 until 2017, the museum's exhibits were in the Barracks' old officers' mess.
In 2008, the museum won a special award. It was named the Best Small Visitor Attraction of the Year by Tourism South East. This award recognized its great exhibitions and excellent customer service.
Special Exhibitions and Displays
In March 2009, the museum opened the Beverley Gallery. This area was used for special, changing exhibitions. These shows covered many different topics for various visitors.
- The first exhibition was called Return to Helmand: The Royal Marines in Afghanistan. It was opened by Major General Garry Robison.
- Another exhibition was Griff – Thinker, Painter, Forger, Spy?. This show celebrated the interesting life of Captain Guy Griffiths. He was a Royal Marine pilot.
- The last special exhibition was Commando Mind. It showed the mental strength Royal Marines use. This helps them achieve amazing things, even when facing tough challenges.
Moving to a New Home
The museum's main galleries at Eastney Barracks closed on April 1, 2017. This decision was made by the Director of the National Museum of the Royal Navy. The rooms at Eastney Barracks were still used for offices and events until the end of 2018.
A temporary display is now open at the Historic Dockyard in Portsmouth. It is called 'The Making of the Royal Marines Commando'. This display shows how demanding the 32-week training course is for new Royal Marines.
The museum plans to open a new permanent exhibition. This will be in a Victorian Boathouse building at the Portsmouth Dockyard. It was planned for 2020. However, the museum did not get a grant they needed. So, the opening of the new museum has been delayed. They hope to get more funding soon.
Amazing Collections
The museum has a huge collection of medals. Over 8,000 medals were on display at Eastney Barracks. This includes all ten Victoria Crosses awarded to the Royal Marines. The Victoria Cross is the highest award for bravery in the British military.
In September 2008, the museum bought a very rare medal. It cost £41,000. This was possible thanks to a large donation from the National Heritage Memorial Fund. The medal was a Naval General Service Medal with a Trafalgar clasp. It was given to Lt Lewis Buckle Reeve. He was badly injured at the Battle of Trafalgar. He was even laid next to the dying Admiral Nelson on board HMS Victory. This special medal was shown at Eastney Barracks. It was displayed with Lt Reeve's name from the Royal Marines Muster List for HMS Victory at Trafalgar.
See Also
- Royal Marines Volunteer Cadet Corps
