Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum facts for kids
Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum
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| Established | 1926 |
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| Location | Gloucester Docks |
| Type | Military |
The Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum is a cool place to visit in the historic docks of Gloucester. This museum shares the amazing stories of two important parts of the British Army. These are the Gloucestershire Regiment and the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars. Both groups had many soldiers from Gloucestershire and Bristol. The Gloucestershire Regiment includes older groups like the 28th (North Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot and the 61st (South Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot.
Contents
Discover the Museum's History
The museum started collecting items way back in 1926. It was first located in Bristol. Later, in 1980, it moved to the old Custom House in Gloucester Docks. This new museum was officially opened by The Duke of Gloucester.
The museum was updated a lot in the late 1980s. It reopened on June 24, 1990. It got even more improvements with help from the Heritage Lottery Fund. It opened again in April 2014, looking better than ever!
What You Can See at the Museum
The museum has collected items for over 300 years! You can see life-size scenes and hear sound effects. There are also old films and many displays. These displays show different military campaigns.
You can learn about the Napoleonic Wars and the First Anglo-Sikh War. There are also exhibits on the Second Anglo-Sikh War and the Indian Mutiny. You can explore the Second Boer War, World War I, and World War II. The museum also covers the Korean War.
More recent displays show peacekeeping duties in places like Cyprus, Bosnia, and Kosovo. You can also learn about conflicts in Northern Ireland. The museum keeps its exhibits up-to-date. It includes recent campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Special Medals on Display
The museum holds very special medals called Victoria Crosses. These are the highest awards for bravery in the British military. You can see the Victoria Crosses of Herbert Taylor Reade (from the 61st Regiment). Also on display are those of Daniel Burges, James Carne, and Hardy Falconer Parsons. All three of these brave soldiers were from the Gloucestershire Regiment.
The museum still gets new items. A very special recent addition is a service revolver. This gun was found at Gloster Hill. This is where the Glosters fought bravely on April 25, 1951. This was during the Battle of the Imjin River.
Explore the Museum's Displays
The museum is set up in different rooms. You can walk through them in order of time.
- The Early Years
Here you can see small, detailed paintings of officers. These paintings are from the 1700s and early 1800s. There are also interesting paintings of the Gloucestershire Militias from the 1800s.
- The Napoleonic Room
This room shows equipment and uniforms from the Napoleonic Wars. You can also see beautiful medals from the Peninsular War and the Battle of Waterloo.
- The 19th Century Room
Look for unusual early uniforms in this room. There are also items from the 28th Regiment's time in Australia. You can also see memorabilia from the Crimean War.
- World War I Room (1)
This room features weapons, drawings, and other items from the First World War.
- World War II Room (2)
A special part of this room is an audio-visual display. It tells the story of the brave actions of the Gloucesters at Dunkirk in 1940.
- Royal Gloucestershire Hussars Rooms
These rooms have beautiful silverware, uniforms, and paintings. They show the history of the Hussars from the 1790s until after World War II.
- Korean War Room
Here you'll find items and an audio-visual display. It shares the dramatic stories told by the soldiers themselves. They fought at the Imjin River in 1951.
- National Service Room
Many items here cover the time when young men had to join the British Army. This was called National Service. It happened from the late 1940s to the early 1960s.
- World War I and World War II Rooms (2)
See lifelike scenes in this area. One shows a trench from 1916. Another shows fighting in Burma in 1944.
- Medal Cabinets
There are 24 drawers filled with interesting medal collections. These belonged to soldiers from the Gloucestershire Regiment and Royal Gloucestershire Hussars.
The Custom House Building
The museum is located in a building called the Custom House. It's an old Victorian building finished in 1845. It was designed by architect Sydney Smirke. He also designed the building where the Imperial War Museum is now.
Building the Custom House
In the early 1840s, the old Custom House was too small. There was too much trade happening in the Port of Gloucester. So, in February 1843, they found a good spot for a new building. It was right next to the docks.
Work started in April 1844. They decided to use Painswick stone for the walls instead of brick. Even with this change, the roof was on by October of that year. Work continued inside. The total cost, including the land, was £5,780.
What the Custom House Did
From late 1845, the building was used by customs officers. Their main job was to record goods coming from other countries. They also collected taxes on these goods. Some clerks also registered local ships. They kept records of the captains and crews. In the 1800s, one of the customs officers even lived in part of the building.
Later, most foreign goods went through Sharpness. Trade in Gloucester Port became less busy. But the Custom House kept working as an office until the late 1970s.
A New Purpose for the Building
After the customs staff moved out, the building got a new job. It became the main office for the Gloucestershire Regiment. It also included a museum, which opened in 1980. At first, you entered the museum from Commercial Road.
But the docks area was being updated for fun activities. So, the museum was changed and reopened in 1990. The new entrance faced the docks, which used to be the back of the building.
