FIREPOWER - the museum of the Royal Artillery

Site Issues 2006 Archive Room
#1

If you happen to find yourselves in East London, you might like to pay a visit to the FIREPOWER museum.

The exhibits are interesting and well laid-out, with actual examples going from the earliest guns through to missiles and AS 90.

If you ask nicely, you can visit the Medal Gallery where there are a number of VCs and other interesting gongs. For the serious researcher, there is the Clavell Library (named after James Clavell, a WW2 Gunner officer who later wrote King Rat based on his experiences in Changi POW camp, and Shogun.) but you’ll need an appointment to get in that bit.

Of the guns on display, there is clearly an RA bias, with 15th century muzzle loaders, RML, RBL, Congreve Rockets etc, some good WW1 stuff, lots of WW2 (SEXTON, PRIEST, M 40, 25 pdr, Bofors, 3.7" AA, Z Rockets, 2 + 6 + 17 pdr AT, 7.2" recoiless) and post WW2, including LANCE and HONEST JOHN missiles, FH 70, Light Gun, Tr RAPIER, RAPIER B2, .

Worth a fiver of anyones cash IMHO.

Kind regards

Fluffy

http://www.firepower.org.uk/home/home.cfm

#2

Well worth the entrance fee.

These ‘private’ museums need as much sp as possible, they are more intimately connected with the items on display and as such often very touching to visit.

Any site members visiting London on holiday please make a point of going to Firepower - and any or all of the other military museums.
They need your help to keep memories alive.

#3

There was a recent theft from the Firepower museum medal gallery. Can I ask you all to keep your eyes open if you happen to be active in medal collecting.

Thanks

Fluffy

Stolen Orders, Decorations and Medals still unaccounted for 30-03-2005

Name Order, Decoration or Medal Clasp

Beresford-Peirse, 1939-1945 Star
Beresford-Peirse, Africa Star
Beresford-Peirse, Allied Victory Medal 1914-1918
Beresford-Peirse, British War Medal 1914-1920
Beresford-Peirse, Burma Star
Beresford-Peirse, Defence Medal 1939-1945
Beresford-Peirse, Distinguished Service Order,
Beresford-Peirse, Order of the Bath, Companion CB
Beresford-Peirse, Order of the British Empire, KBE

Eldridge, John 1939-1945 Star
Eldridge, John Allied Victory Medal 1914-1918 OAK LEAF
Eldridge, John Distinguished Service Order, GV, 1 bar BAR
Eldridge, John General Service Medal, 1918-1962, GV IRAQ
Eldridge, John Italy Star
Eldridge, John Legion of Merit USA
Eldridge, John Order of the Bath, Companion CB
Eldridge, John. Order of the British Empire, KBE

Harrison, E.G.W.W. 1914 Star with clasp 5th AUG - 22nd NOV 1914
Harrison, E.G.W.W. 1939-1945 Star
Harrison, E.G.W.W. Africa Star 1st ARMY
Harrison, E.G.W.W. Allied Victory Medal 1914-1918 OAK LEAF
Harrison, E.G.W.W. Italy Star
Harrison, E.G.W.W. Order of the Bath, Companion CB
Harrison, E.G.W.W. Order of the Crown of Italy, Officer/Knight

Ker, C.A 1914-1915 Star
Ker, C.A Allied Victory Medal 1914-1918 OAK LEAF
Ker, C.A Distinguished Service Order, Vic
Ker, C.A Military Order of Christ, Badge and Star
Ker, C.A Military Order of St. Benedict of Aviz 1st class
Ker, C.A Order of St. Michael and St. George, Companion CMG
Ker, C.A Queen’s South Africa Medal 1899-1902 SOUTH AFRICA 1901
TRANSVAAL
RELIEF OF LADY SMITH
ORANGE FREE STATE
TUGELA HEIGHTS
CAPE COLONY
Ker, C.A. Order of the Bath, Companion CB

May, John Military Order of the Tower and Sword 1808-1832, Badge, Grand Officer
May, John Military Order of the Tower and Sword 1808-1832, Badge, Knight
May, John Order of the Bath, Badge, Knight Commander KCB
May, John Royal Guelphic Order, Badge of a Knight Commander
May, John Royal Guelphic Order, Star of a Knight Commander
May, John. Order of the Bath, Star, Knight Commander KCB

Onslow, William 1914 Star with clasp 5th AUG - 22nd NOV 1914
Onslow, William Allied Victory Medal 1914-1918 OAK LEAF
Onslow, William Legion of Honour, Commander, (3rd Class)
Onslow, William Medal of Military Ardour 4th Class
Onslow, William Order of Redeemer, Grand Commander
Onslow, William Order of the Bath, Knight Commander KCB
Onslow, William Order of the White Eagle, with Swords, Serbia Commander
Onslow, William H. Order of St. Michael and St. George, Knight Commander KCMG

Rickards, George Arthur 1914-1915 Star
Rickards, George Arthur Allied Victory Medal 1914-1918 OAK LEAF
Rickards, George Arthur Croix de Guerre, French 1914-1918
Rickards, George Arthur Delhi Durbar Medal 1911
Rickards, George Arthur Queen’s South Africa Medal 1899-1902 WITTEBERGEN
TRANSVAAL
CAPE COLONY

Rickards, William Long Service and Good Conduct Medal Vic
Rickards, William Turkish Crimea Medal,
Rickards, William. Crimea War Medal 1854-1856 SEBASTOPOL INKERMANN BALAKLAVA
ALMA

Willis, William Allied Victory Medal 1914-1918

#4

Good Post,i hope to visit the museum!

#5

A picture taken near Arnhem towards the end of the war of some of the gunners of the 74th Field Regiment Royal Artillery.

#6

Thanks Al

Relatives of yours at all?

Looks like a battery’s-worth of 25 pdr parked (a bit close to each other to fire from that position).

I’m fairly sure that at this stage of the War, 74th Regt were still part of the 50th (Northumberland) Div artillery.

Kind regards

Fluffy

#7

FluffyBunnyGB

Yes, your correct the regiment was part of the “Fighting Fiftieth” my father was called up prior to the outbreak of war in 1939 and finally demobbed in 1946 having saw action from Dunkirk - Western Desert - Sciliy - D-Day and then as a training division at the close of the conflict.

A few more photographs if you are interested taken again near Arnhem at Oostebeck.

My father at the half track control car he drove as he was an OP.

#8

The most moving (as in emotional) thing I ever saw in a museum was at the submarine museum in Gosport (Hampshire UK).

Amongst all the other stuff this great museum has on display is a birthday cake baked by a boy sailor’s mother for his 18th birthday during the earlier part of the war. He was torpedoed and killed on his return home on a merchant (from memory) ship and so the cake never got eaten. The cake looks in great shape, from memory there were some photos etc as well.

Silly as it sounds it was a most moving exhibit, you can just imagine some mother not knowing what to do with that cake.