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Museum of…

Jonathan Knott discovers what life is like in the army reserves
Where The Kent and Sharpshooters Yeomanry (KSY) Museum is in the grounds of Hever Castle in Kent. There are smaller displays at barracks in Croydon and Bexleyheath, south London.

What
The museum tells the story of the Kent Yeomanry and the County of London Yeomanry, which began as a number of volunteer cavalry units in 1794 and 1901 respectively, and merged into a single Territorial Army regiment in 1961. The KSY are now part of the Army Reserve, serving within two regiments.

The Kent Yeomanry were formed in response to the threat of a French invasion and their early tasks included preserving public order and escorting the monarch. The County of London Yeomanry, known as the Sharpshooters, were formed during the Boer war. The Kent Yeomanry and the Sharpshooters served in both world wars, and members have also been deployed in more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Opened The new building, which has a green canvas covering resembling a military operations tent, was opened on 6 September 2015 by Princess Alexandra. Originally set up in 1966, the museum used to be located inside Hever Castle from 1985 until its recent move.

Collection The displays include uniforms, guidons (regimental flags), equipment and captured objects, as well as medals and silverware. There are also photographs, cartoons and oil paintings, including work by the Victorian military artist Harry Payne, who served in the West Kent Yeomanry.

Touchscreen displays tell notable individual stories. For example, one second world war tank commander operating in the western desert of North Africa kept a pet fox called Noball in his tank. The commander went on to become a professor of zoology at the University of London.

“Because it is the reserve army, we like to talk about people’s civilian lives as well as their military careers,” says Chris Sutton, the chief executive of the museum.

Outside the venue, visitors are confronted by a Saladin armoured car from the 1970s and a 25-pounder second world war field gun.

Highlights Recreations allow visitors to experience what it was like inside a second world war Cromwell tank turret, as well as a first world war Gallipoli trench, complete with feely boxes. “A model rat creates a bit of a frisson,” says Sutton.

Help at hand
The museum is run entirely by volunteers. There is a management team of eight, and about half a dozen additional core volunteers. Hever Castle is responsible for the building maintenance, security and cleaning.

Budget The museum raised £275,000 for the new building project. Around £230,000 came from grants (including £100,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund) and the remainder from private donors. The annual operating cost is about £5,000. The building itself was paid for by Hever Castle.

Sticky situation “The previous location inside the castle had serious constraints,” says Sutton. “Stumping up the money for the new museum seemed scary, but it only took us six months.”

Visitors Entry to the museum is included with a ticket to Hever Castle, which receives around 250,000 visitors a year. Armed forces discounts for visiting the museum are available at certain times of year.

Survival tip Researching the priorities of grant-making bodies can pay off, says Sutton. “I imagined I would be knocking on the doors of Kent’s rich list, but a consultant showed us that there were organisations that could help.”

Future plans
“I would like to develop our education programme and push the boundaries of what a military museum can do,” says Sutton.

Jonathan Knott is a freelance writer.

www.ksymuseum.org.uk


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