W.W. II
 

Has anyone been to the Imperial War Museum in London? I am a history teacher and am looking for W.W. II sites to visit while in London this summer.<BR>Thanks!

Not that one, but years ago we did visit the Cabinet War Rooms & loved it.<BR>See http://www.iwm.org.uk/ for info on that & the IWM.<BR><BR>By the way, you might try reposting your question with "London" or "England" in the title -- that may bring more responses from those who have recently visited the area.

Yes, the IWM is worth visiting. Not as large as I expected, but still plenty to see.<BR><BR>Some suggestions in SE England outside of London:<BR>- RAF Duxford: the aerial branch of the Imperial War Museum (near Cambridge)<BR>- Dover Castle: WWII era tunnel complex<BR>- Bletchley Park: Code-breaking establishment in Buckinghamshire

Leslie, We visited the Imperial War Museum this spring and found our visit really worthwhile. We took our children, ages 12 and 15. I don't think they'll forget trench warfare or the blitz after "experiencing" them in the museum. <BR><BR>There are lots of static displays in a great hall, as you enter, which have tanks and planes, which my son and husband liked. There are also exhibits about the code breakers, and an enigma machine; plus displays of items illustrating a broad range of British involvement in WW I and WWII. There was also a lot of emphasis on what was going on on the homefront during the 1930s and 40s. I found the posters and signs telling farmers how to respond if the German army invaded and approached them in the fields or their homes really chilling and something I had never thought of. <BR><BR>I really appreciated the more interactive exhibits. There were two WW I trench warfare exhibit and a WW II shelter experience (the blitz) that "recreated" the experience, including sights, sounds, and even smells. They were outstanding. (I don't know if both WW I exhibits will remain. One is a new BBC exhibit. They complimented each other and both were worth going to.) <BR><BR>There is also a holocaust portion of the museum we did not have time to visit.<BR> <BR>

Hi<BR>I went to the Imperial War Museum this past February. It is worth a trip.<BR>I'm not so much into the boats and planes, but I enjoyed the historical displays (uniforms, photos,ration cards, other artifacts, newsreels, a walk through a WWI "trench", a walk through a WWII Blitz "bombing", etc.<BR><BR>There's a pretty good cafeteria on the premises. <BR><BR>Do also include a visit to the Cabinet War Rooms as well. It's fascinating that compared to today's computer age, troop movements were tracked on maps with pins.<BR><BR>Some of my family recently visited Bletchley Park. It's worth it, but it is staffed with volunteers and they haven't entirely figured out what's drawing the visitors and what's not.<BR>The three-hour tour there was an hour too long my family felt, too much time spent on the architecture and history of the building itself. Try to see the current film "Enigma" if you can. It's not very good in terms of the fictional plot, but does include quite a bit about Bletchley WWII activities and atmosphere.

You might pop up to Bletchley which isn't too far from London to see the museum and location of some of the Enigma code cracking efforts during the war?<BR><BR>Do a search in this forum on Bletchley to find previous comments from myself and other Fodorites.<BR><BR><BR>Kavey

Oops!<BR>Cross posted with Elaine and only just noticed Dave did advise Bletchley in his post too.<BR>Sorry!<BR>Still, I can recommend the visit!

Some other ideas in London you may want to consider<BR><BR>1) HMS Belfast (half way between London Bridge and Tower Bridge) and very close to 2)<BR>2) Britain at War Museum on Tooley Street (next to the London Dungeon)<BR>3) Museum of London, Barbican

Leslie, <BR><BR>We visited the Duxford Air Museum right outside of Cambridge last October. Duxford was an airbase for P47's and P51s during WWII. The museum is full of information about WWII and English aviaiton. We took the train (about an hour train ride) to Cambridge and took the free Duxford bus shuttle to the museum. <BR><BR>The highlight of our day trip was visiting the American Cemetary in Cambridge. Remember the huge American Cemetary in Normandy? Well, the English version is 3-miles outside of Cambridge. It was beautiful. We had the honor of placing flowers at the graveside of a soldier who was killed on a B17 navigated by my DH's uncle.<BR><BR>I haven't been to the Imperial War Museum, so I can't compare the two. While I was researching the Imperial on Fodors, someone recommended Duxford to us instead of the Imperial. Do a search on here for Marla's trip report and you'll find more details about our trip to Cambridge. Have Fun!!!

If you have the chance, take a day trip (by train or car) to Dover. The WW II "Secret Underground Wartime Tunnels at Dover Castle" (http://www.subbrit.org.uk/rsg/places.htmlcaves) were opened a few years ago and it's a super look at the war operations. Well worth the visit if you are a WW II fan. <BR>As for the Imperial War Museum (http://www.iwm.org.uk/ - this site has other WW II links), it's a must. They are continually changing the exhibits so if you go one year, there will be someting different to see the next year. Be prepared to spend a lot of time there. Do NOT spend much time in the foyer area - go directly to the exhibits and return to the foyer later. <BR>http://www.britishheritage.com/toursbaw.htm has a listing of places to see on their tour which you can do by yourself if you want to. <BR>

Leslie,<BR><BR>I can vouch for the Imperial War Museuem too...along with the Cabinet War Rooms...as worthwhile places to visit in London. <BR><BR>There are also some lesser-known spots that may interest you. For example, St. Clement Danes church, designed by Sir Christopher Wren, was badly damaged by the Blitz. It stands today, with some scars on the outside walls, and is the official chapel of the Royal Air Force. An interesting juxtaposition of older and more recent London history. For info:<BR><BR> http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/A660269<BR><BR>Enjoy your visit,<BR><BR>David White<BR>http://www.KidsToLondon.com

<BR>You could also try the RAF museum in Hendon (north london)<BR><BR>www.rafmuseum.org.uk<BR><BR>Or further afield Bovindgon Tank Museum (Dorset) and the shuttleworth collection (www.shuttleworth.org) just north of London

Another thought might be somewhere like St Dunstan in the East, of which only the outer walls remain, surrounding a very pleasant garden to eat your lunch in...(look for St Dunstan Hill off Tower St, just to the West of the Tower). There is a similar garden at St Mary Aldermanbury to the W of St Pauls.<BR><BR>The Museum of London is reorganising its more modern galleries as part of its general re-development, and the last time I went the displays relating to WW2 were not there - but they had a section on oral history materials, many of would be relevant. <BR><BR>If you were thinking of trying to find ideas and materials for use in your work, it might be worth contacting the Museums' education services before you get here - they do a lot of work with schools and teachers.<BR><BR>http://www.museum-london.org.uk/<BR>http://www.iwm.org.uk/education/index.htm