Royal Engineers Museum
Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British EnglishTemplate:Infobox museum The Royal Engineers Museum 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
The museum is housed in the former Ravelin Building at Brompton Barracks, Chatham. This site has been central to the Corps’ history since 1812 when Colonel Pasley’s School of Military Engineering was established at Chatham.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Corps’ Library followed in 1813 (still extant), and the Ravelin Building itself was erected in 1905 as an electrical engineers’ training school.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was designed by Captain (later Major) E.C.S. Moore, RE,<ref>Template:NHLE</ref> and opened in 1905 at a construction cost of £40,000.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1987 the Ravelin was converted into the Corps’ museum;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Queen Elizabeth II formally opened the Royal Engineers Museum in May 1987.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Collections
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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Other items include a German V-2 rocket used during the Second World War,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the map used by the Duke of Wellington during the Battle of Waterloo,<ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref> a finial from the Mahdi's tomb,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
This exhibits can be grouped as follows:
- Engineering equipment and vehicles: artillery, bridging gear (Bailey bridges,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> pontoons, assault boats), armoured engineering vehicles, railway<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and water transport models. Many full‐size vehicles and prototypes are on display indoors and outdoors.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Weapons and explosives: bombs, mines, torpedoes, demolition charges and flamethrowers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Communications and surveying: telegraph and radio sets, semaphore signalling gear, surveying instruments and historical maps.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Photography and aerial: early aerial cameras and photographs (the Royal Engineers were pioneers of military ballooning)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Bridging models (Bridge Study Centre): hundreds of scale models illustrating bridge designs from the 19th century onward, plus drawing sets and treatises.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref>
- Fine art and photography: period paintings and drawings of engineering projects, plus extensive photography albums documenting Royal Engineers units and works.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Medals and awards: one of the largest public collections of medals in the UK.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
See also
- Waterbeach Military Heritage Museum
- Royal Engineers
- Chatham Dockyard
- Imperial War Museum
- Museum of Army Flying
- List of museums in Kent
- Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
- Sapper