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Royal Engineers Museum

Coordinates: 51°23′32″N 0°32′18″E / 51.3921°N 0.5383°E / 51.3921; 0.5383
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The Royal Engineers Museum
The Royal Engineers Museum
Royal Engineers Museum is located in Kent
Royal Engineers Museum
Shown in Kent
Established1987
LocationGillingham, Kent
Coordinates51°23′32″N 0°32′18″E / 51.3921°N 0.5383°E / 51.3921; 0.5383
TypeMilitary Museum
Websitewww.re-museum.co.uk

The Royal Engineers Museum, Library and Archive is a military engineering museum and library in Gillingham, Kent. It tells the story of the Corps of Royal Engineers and British military engineering in general.

History

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Centurion AVRE (Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers)

The 'Ravelin Building', which was designed by Major E.C.S. Moore, Royal Engineers and was completed in 1905 at a cost £40,000,[1] was originally used as electrical engineers' school before becoming the home of the museum in 1987.[2] It was classed as Grade II listed on 5 December 1996.[2] Its collection received 'Designated' status in 1998 (it is recognised as having an outstanding collection of national and international significance). It is one of only three military or regimental museums in the country to hold this status.[3]

Collections

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The museum and library hold over 500,000 objects relating to the history of the Corps of Royal Engineers and the development of military engineering. It also has a collection of paintings and a large collection of medals including 25 Victoria Crosses.[4] Other items include a German V-2 rocket used during the Second World War,[5] the map used by the Duke of Wellington during the Battle of Waterloo,[6] a finial from the Mahdi's tomb,[7] weapons used by Lieutenant John Chard during the Anglo-Zulu War, a collection of bridge-laying tanks, a Brennan torpedo and a Harrier jump jet.[8]

This exhibits can be grouped as follows:

  • Engineering equipment and vehicles: artillery, bridging gear (Bailey bridges,[9] pontoons, assault boats), armoured engineering vehicles, railway[10] and water transport models. Many full‐size vehicles and prototypes are on display indoors and outdoors.[11]
  • Weapons and explosives: bombs, mines, torpedoes, demolition charges and flamethrowers.[12]
  • Communications and surveying: telegraph and radio sets, semaphore signalling gear, surveying instruments and historical maps.[13]
  • Photography and aerial: early aerial cameras and photographs (the Royal Engineers were pioneers of military ballooning)[14]
  • Bridging models (Bridge Study Centre): hundreds of scale models illustrating bridge designs from the 19th century onward, plus drawing sets and treatises.[15]
  • Fine art and photography: period paintings and drawings of engineering projects, plus extensive photography albums documenting Royal Engineers units and works.[16]
  • Medals and awards: one of the largest public collections of medals in the UK.[17]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Brompton Barracks". bromptonhistory.org.uk. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  2. ^ a b "Royal Engineers Museum, Brompton Barracks, Gillingham". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  3. ^ Culture24 Staff (8 October 2009). "Plaques presented to military museums with outstanding Designated collections". Culture24. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ "Royal Engineers Museum". Victoria Cross. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  5. ^ "Royal Engineers Museum begins restoration of German V-2 Rocket missile for display". Culture 24. 13 July 2012. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  6. ^ "The Original Map of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo". Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  7. ^ Nicoll, Fergus, Material related to the Mahdīa p.13
  8. ^ "Royal Engineers Museum". Kent Attractions. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  9. ^ "Royal Engineers Museum - 100 Objects That Made Kent". web.archive.org. 29 April 2025. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  10. ^ "Medway Model Show - Royal Engineers Museum". web.archive.org. 29 April 2025. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  11. ^ "Build, Demolish, Defuse - Royal Engineers Museum". web.archive.org. 29 April 2025. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  12. ^ "Royal Engineers Museum Visitor Map (March 2018)" (PDF).
  13. ^ "BBC - A History of the World - Object : Duke of Wellington's map of Waterloo". web.archive.org. 29 April 2025. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  14. ^ "Early military ballooning". web.archive.org. 29 April 2025. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  15. ^ Sturgess, Trevor. "Trust wins award for promoting civil engineering in schools". Kent Online. Archived from the original on 29 April 2025.
  16. ^ "Collections". Royal Engineers Museum. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  17. ^ "Royal Engineers Museum Victoria Cross Collection". web.archive.org. 29 April 2025. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
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