I must say I am not particularly attracted by museums related to wartime. But after wandering in the Imperial War Museum for a few hours without noticing the time, I was forced to admit I enjoyed visiting this museum. And once again, this museum offers free admission, therefore you have no excuse avoiding it…

Featuring experiences of modern war, from WW1 to current conflicts

Located near Lambeth and Waterloo, you can’t miss the Imperial War Museum with its big canons in front of the building.
The Museum was created in 1917 and aimed at displaying testimonies from the World War 1. But as time passed and new wars broke out, the museum had to expand its collection and you can also find there artefacts from more recent conflicts.

The big hall with hanging war materials

When you enter the giant hall you are taken by surprise with the many elements hanging half in the emptiness, like cars or boats. It reminded me of the Science Museum, where we could see many objects hanging from the ceiling…
And of course aircrafts’ amateurs will be pleased to see some relics there !

The ground floor dedicated to WW1

In my opinion, this is the best part of the museum. Many pictures, objects, videos, comments and even anecdotes on the war experience that were really interesting to reread.
Along the way, some interactive stands make this war more pragmatic and understandable for children (like the recruitment’s criteria in the army, or the effects of gas on people or cloths…).  Of course, this was sometimes hard to see how devastating the WW1 was and I would recommend to go there with children over 6 years.

At the end of this WW1 section, I used a Russian backdrop to take a final snapshot…

Upper floors

The upper floors are dedicated to WW2, holocaust and more recent conflicts.
 I did not go and see the Holocaust section as we were with young children, and I found the WW2 part a bit confusing compared to the WW1 section: no chronology and fewer explanations available…But we had the pleasure to admire old vehicles and planes!

Exhibitions

At the time I visited the museum, I was lucky enough to see the Lee Miller exhibition. I have always admired this woman, who is a feminine figure of war photography. She made historic pictures, in particular those from Hitler’s bathroom or Buchenwald.

This woman was able to abandon the frivolity of fashion to photograph the harshness of war with professionalism and humility. The exhibition presented a wide overview of her work and also offered a great portrait of this american photographer.

The Imperial War Museum well depicts our war history and makes it unavoidable…Go and see it for yourself!