Jewish Military Museum

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Jewish Military Museum
Barnet London UK blank ward map.svg
Red pog.svg
The location of the museum in Barnet
Location Hendon, Barnet, North London
Coordinates 51°35′15″N0°13′12″W / 51.58763°N 0.220095°W / 51.58763; -0.220095 Coordinates: 51°35′15″N0°13′12″W / 51.58763°N 0.220095°W / 51.58763; -0.220095
Type Military history
President Henry Morris
Website www.thejmm.org.uk

The Jewish Military Museum was a museum located in Hendon, Barnet, North London, which featured exhibits about Jews serving in the British armed forces from the 18th century to the present day. It has now closed and the collection was moved to the Jewish Museum London in Camden in 2015.

Hendon suburb situated in the London Borough of Barnet

Hendon is a London urban area in the Borough of Barnet, 7 miles (11 km) northwest of Charing Cross. Hendon was an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex and has been part of Greater London since 1965. Hendon had a population of 52,972 in 2011 which includes the West Hendon and Colindale wards that are separated from Hendon by the NW9 postcode area

London Borough of Barnet Borough in United Kingdom

Barnet is a suburban London borough in North London, England. It forms part of Outer London and is the largest London borough by population with 384,774 inhabitants and covers an area of 86.74 square kilometres (33 sq mi), the fourth highest. It borders Hertfordshire to the north and five other London boroughs: Harrow and Brent to the west, Camden and Haringey to the southeast and Enfield to the east.

Jewish Museum London museum of British Jewish life

The Jewish Museum London is a museum of British Jewish life, history and identity. It is the only museum in London dedicated to a minority community. The museum is situated in the London Borough of Camden, North London. It is a place for people of all ages, faiths and background to explore Jewish history, culture, and heritage. The museum has a dedicated education team, with an extensive programme for schools, community groups and families alike. Charles, Prince of Wales is a patron of the museum.

Contents

History

The museum was founded by the Association of Jewish Ex-servicemen and Women (Ajex) in 1996, as an outgrowth of a memorial room at the Association's headquarters in Stamford Hill. [1] The idea for the museum originated with Henry Morris, who saw it as a way of remembering those who had died in active service, and of countering the mistaken belief that Jews have avoided fighting in the armed forces. [2] Morris worked with Ajex's archivist Martin Sugarman to expand the collection, [2] which necessitated a move to a larger space. [1] The museum moved to a location on Harmony Way in Barnet in 2004. [1] It was granted accreditation from the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council in 2010. In January 2015, the Museum amalgamated with the Jewish Museum in Camden and as a result far less material is on display but researchers may still access it by appointment in the archives of the Jewish Museum's Military Section. [2]

The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) was until May 2012 a non-departmental public body and registered charity in England with a remit to promote improvement and innovation in the area of museums, libraries and archives. Its functions spanned the UK and it advised the government on policy and priorities for these areas in England, receiving funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The last chairman was Sir Andrew Motion and last chief executive officer (CEO) was Roy Clare CBE.

Collections and exhibitions

The museum held a range of items relating to Jewish people who have served in the British armed forces, including uniforms, medals, photographs, letters and official documents. The collections cover conflicts from the 18th century to the present day, including Trafalgar, Waterloo, the Boer War, the First and Second World Wars, the Falklands War and the modern-day conflict in Afghanistan. [3] Among these, there was a particular focus on the two World Wars. [2] The museum digitised the service records of all British Jews who served in the Second World War, and these records can be accessed via an interactive "Record of Honour" database. [3]

Battle of Trafalgar 1805 battle of the Napoleonic Wars

The Battle of Trafalgar was a naval engagement fought by the British Royal Navy against the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars (1796–1815).

Battle of Waterloo Battle of the Napoleonic Wars in which Napoleon was defeated

The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday, 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in Belgium, part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands at the time. A French army under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated by two of the armies of the Seventh Coalition: a British-led allied army under the command of the Duke of Wellington, and a Prussian army under the command of Field Marshal Blücher. The battle marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars.

Falklands War War between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982

The Falklands War, also known as the Falklands Conflict, Falklands Crisis, Malvinas War, South Atlantic Conflict, and the Guerra del Atlántico Sur, was a ten-week war between Argentina and the United Kingdom over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands, and its territorial dependency, the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. It began on Friday, 2 April 1982, when Argentina invaded and occupied the Falkland Islands in an attempt to establish the sovereignty it had claimed over them. On 5 April, the British government dispatched a naval task force to engage the Argentine Navy and Air Force before making an amphibious assault on the islands. The conflict lasted 74 days and ended with the Argentine surrender on 14 June 1982, returning the islands to British control. In total, 649 Argentine military personnel, 255 British military personnel, and three Falkland Islanders died during the hostilities.

Between November 2010 and January 2011, the museum loaned some of its artefacts for an external exhibition at Cardiff Castle. This was the first touring exhibition from the museum, and was intended as a trial to test the viability of a nationwide tour. [4] [5]

Cardiff Castle Grade I listed castle in Cardiff, Wales

Cardiff Castle is a medieval castle and Victorian Gothic revival mansion located in the city centre of Cardiff, Wales. The original motte and bailey castle was built in the late 11th century by Norman invaders on top of a 3rd-century Roman fort. The castle was commissioned either by William the Conqueror or by Robert Fitzhamon, and formed the heart of the medieval town of Cardiff and the Marcher Lord territory of Glamorgan. In the 12th century the castle began to be rebuilt in stone, probably by Robert of Gloucester, with a shell keep and substantial defensive walls being erected. Further work was conducted by The 6th Earl of Gloucester in the second half of the 13th century. Cardiff Castle was repeatedly involved in the conflicts between the Anglo-Normans and the Welsh, being attacked several times in the 12th century, and stormed in 1404 during the revolt of Owain Glyndŵr.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Kummer, Sophie (11 February 2004). "Jewish Military Museum finds new home". Hendon & Finchley Times.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Freedland, Michael (4 September 2010). "The call went out : 'Enlist at once in any regiment' – The Jewish Military Museum in London tells a story that needed to be told". The Times .
  3. 1 2 "About us". Jewish Military Museum. Archived from the original on 29 June 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  4. "Jewish Military Museum in town". South Wales Echo. 24 November 2010.
  5. "Jewish role in history of UK armed forces". BBC News . 24 November 2010.