It was only by chance that I saw this site on a map as I was searching for something nearby to do with work, so I turned up one day to find that it had actually closed for the day, but thankfully the guy running it beckoned me to come inside and have a look seeing as though I had come all that way just to see it.
The venue itself is inside one of the old forts around Portsmouth that were build in the Victorian era over the continued threat of a possible attack by the French that never came. This one in particular is just up the road from Hilsea railway station and has it’s own car park which is great for when it gets a bit full.
Inside it was dark as the lights had all been brought in for the day (they were run by solar panels that were outside during working hours), but he had a powerful torch and showed me around some really interesting and unique displays relating to the First World War. To say that no space was wasted is an understatement, everywhere you look there are relics and information boards with a story to tell.
Numerous displays showed before and after shots of buildings that were devastated by the war as it snaked across Belgium and France, items found in the trenches here include a length of barbed wire, bullets and part of a clip. The tunnel-like building inside gives a chronological timeline of the events leading up to the breakout of the war and the major events that happened along the way such as the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, sinking of the Lusitania, wars in the trenches, Gallipoli and the eventual end of the war and the remembrance day that was borne out of the ending of this conflict.
A display of modern items that were available during the war are in a glass cabinet, who knew the name of Jelly Babies in 1918? Turns out they were Peace Babies!
The development of the air force led to the Sopwith Camel being a household name, as was fictional pilot Biggles who’s daring missions thrilled young children with tales of dashing death-defying flying skills and of course back for tea and medals! With the air force comes the Royal Navy, items in another cabinet from the wrecks of HMS Velox and the P12 show that when disaster strikes the legacy of the attack can still be seen a century on.
This very informative museum is full of information, so much so that it would be impossible to remember everything – the names Pip, Squeak and Wilfred explained, the story of Tirpitz the pig and of course the constant threat of a gas attack as seen in the displays at the end of my tour.
The man who took me round was very knowledgeable and obviously is very passionate about the history of the First World War and was visibly happy to be able to show off the collection to another interested party. If you are ever in the Hilsea area of Portsmouth, take at least an hour off to go see this remarkable collection.
The WWI Remembrance Centre is open 1100-1400 most days, although these times do change so double check with the website.
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Richard M. Jones is an author and historian specialising in disasters and shipwrecks along with two World Wars. Spending his time between Hampshire and Yorkshire, he has put up 18 memorials to victims of forgotten tragedies and published 23 books along the way.