Imperial War Museum London

In London January 2009. The museum was one of my favourites places and it was free in. well worth a visit.

I visited the Imperial War Museum with my husband whilst in London celebrating our wedding anniversary. We only had a few hours to spare as we had things already arranged for the afternoon. A few hours was definately not enough to see everything. We only touched on the free exhibitions but would need to spend a full day at the museum to see and do everything including the Trench Experience. We will be putting this on our 'to do' list for our next visit.

I have been here 3 times in the past couple of years and I will be back again. The first time I came I spent 6 hours here and actually had to rush around the last bit as our coach was leaving. I have been back twice since to see temporary exhibits, Rememberence earlier on in the year and Outbreak and Childrens War this time. The thing I really like about the displays are that they have (for example) a copy of the original typewritten letter declaring war and a couple of cases along there is a simple 2 line handwritten note copied from the blackboard at school by a seven year old boy giving his parents the details of his evacuation the next morning. This mix of nationally important documents and ordinary (not the right word I know) letters and notes from real people really shows the knock on effect that a major decision by government has on the average man (or in this case boy) in the street. It really brings the effects of war home to someone who considers himself lucky never to have had to go through anything like my parents or grandparents went through. I came away with the feeling that the displays have the balance exactly right and that the schoolboys little note is (to me anyway) just as important as any government memo however important it is. These temporary exhibitions aside the rest of the museum is magnificent ant I would recommend anyone visiting London to pay a visit.