Having looked at the Regimental Memorial in the centre of the Memorial Garden, you enter the museum where you are met by five figures dressed in the uniforms worn by soldiers from the mid 18th century up to those worn by men serving in Afghanistan in 2010. You are now in our large display room covering the history from 1702 until 1905 of the 37th and 67th of foot and the 2nd Bn Hampshire Regiment in South Africa during the Boer War.
At the far end of the room are displays of artefacts and medals from the Great War. A central display shows the landing of the 2nd Bn the Hampshire Regiment from the “River Clyde” at Sulva Bay and objects from their 10 month occupation in the trenches at Gallipoli. Of the 7,540 officers and men of the Regiment killed in the 1st World War, 2,000 perished during the landing and action at Gallipoli.
You then enter the corridor which is used as the picture gallery. Here we have pictures from the past right up the 1980’s where family members if they are very may find a picture of a father or grandfather if they served with regiment.
Passing through the gallery corridor you enter the Le Patrouel Room which houses displays from Dunkirk through to Normandy, Malaya, Northern Ireland and the present operations in Afghanistan where our successor regiment The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment have served with distinction.
Although the museum is only staffed by one full time assistant and one part time curator, they are usually on hand to answer any questions visitors may have as well as how best to research visitor’s ancestors who served with the regiment, especially during the 1st World War.