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Sunday 23 August 2015

Regimental Museum of the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers (Militia)

This weekend I spent dodging torrential rainstorms around Ross on Wye.  We visited Monmouth and I was pleasantly surprised to find a couple of modern military armoured vehicles on display at the castle and regimental museum (well signposted from Agincourt Square).

First up an FV180 CET, painted up in desert colours.  It stands on a WW2 era Bailey Bridge.





I was particularly impressed with the colour of the tracks which was predominantly a rust red, which I think makes my flat brown painted tracks in 6mm scale look pretty good.


Then a Fox armoured reconnaissance vehicle, again in desert colours.


 



A 32pdr canon captured in 1855 at Sebastopol during the Crimean War.


Inside the museum, a dummy wearing what looks like the temperate PCS-CU uniform, which has an overall pastel green colour at more than a few feet distance.


An AK-47 assault rifle, minus the typical curved magazine, on display.


This display cabinet was interesting as it showed rifles from the 1870's (Martini-Henry), which is just out of shot at the top, through the long Lee-Enfield and short magazine Lee-Enfield, with an SA-80 towards the bottom.  There's also a Sten gun underneath the SA_80 and a Bren gun at the bottom of the display.


 
 Lots more to see there, including some very moving WW1 displays, as well as the full horror of a baby gas mask - the thought of having to put a baby in it and then sit wearing your own mask and having to hand pump the babies air is enough to cause sleepless nights.  There was also a nice display of an ARPs gas mask and respirator case, which reminded me of my Dad's, which he used to carry his lunch to work, long after his RAF reservist period had expired and well into the early 1970's.

The partial remains of the medieval castle can also be seen in the grounds of the museum, although these are pretty knocked about and ruinous, but worth a look if you are in the area.  There is also an interesting museum dedicated to Nelson a couple of minutes walk away and this curiously includes a section on Charles Rolls, of Rolls Royce fame, who lived in the area and was killed in an early flying accident in 1910.

Thanks for looking.
 

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