Royal Marines Museum - Portsmouth - Great Britain


Address: Gunners Row, Portsmouth (See map)
Telephone: +44 (0)23-92819385
Website: http://www.royalmarinesmuseum.co.uk

Shop: shop present
Restaurant/refreshments: refreshments
Size of the museum/site: medium
Year of visit: 2004
Overall rating:

Description: It's hard to tell a story about this museum, since we were not allowed to take pictures... But we'll give it a try nevertheless. After a good walk along the coastline of Portsmouth, we reached the museum. It is housed in old Officers' Messes, built in the 1860s with richly decorated ceilings and large paintings.

The adventures of the Royal Marines start in 1664, when the British Marine Regiment was formed, and continue today as the unit participates in peace-missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. At the museum you can discover how the elite troops of the Royal Marines fought during the Battle of Trafalgar, the two World Wars and the more recent operations in the Falklands and Iraq. There are very nice dioramas of the operations where the Marines fought. You can watch a lot of movies, see the different kinds of weapons used, feel how heavy the backpacks were during the Falklands, walk through the jungle and discover how to survive under arctic circumstances.

If you enjoy looking at medals, don't miss the medal collection comprising 7000 medals awarded to Royal Marines over the years.



Statue in front of the museum: The archetype of the modern Marine Commando.

Foxtrot 7 Vehicle and Personnel Landing craft, able to carry 35 fully-equipped Marines or 2 Land Rovers. It was used during the Falklands Conflict.