The Queen's Royal Lancers and Nottinghamshire Yeomanry Museum, Nottinghamshire, England

The Queen's Royal Lancers and Nottinghamshire Yeomanry Museum is located in the Thoresby Courtyard. It's nestled into a corner and visitors might miss it when the courtyard is packed with other things going on (we visited because of the winter food fest going on in the Courtyard).

The modest door

The museum chronicles the history of cavalry in the English army from the horseback-charging days to the tanks of World War II to the current operations in the Middle East. The very first thing visitors are greeted by is the Omdurman Gun.

The Omdurman Gun

The gun is a brass seven-pounder rifled muzzle-loading field gun. It was used in the charge of the 21st Lancers at Omdurman in 1898. It was a decisive victory in the Sudanese war.

Upstairs is the main exhibit hall, which is not very long. It is the ideal amount for children, with a dress-up area (which our children did not use) and some other interactive exhibits.

In the early 1700s, the Duke of Marlborough fought against French forces. He had a victory in Blenheim that so impressed him he named his Oxfordshire home Blenheim Palace. Some mementos from that battle are on display.

Early 1700s display

Nearby is a case with a set of pistols which made me wonder if they were used for dueling.

Pistols and buttons

Another case has items from the American War for Independence. We read that the American army was so poorly equipped and disciplined that they had to use guerrilla war tactics in order to win. It made me think I should really go to the local British library and get a book about the war to read about it from the other side.

Circa 1770s and 1780s

Surely the prize item in the museum is one of the bugles used on the famous Charge of the Light Brigade in 1854 during the Crimean War.

Charge of the Light Brigade display with bugle at top

Saddle with two pistols!

The displays continue on into the twentieth century, where World War II had a bit of prominence. By this time, tanks and not horses were in vogue. A display shows some Nazi items and miniature tanks. The small tanks were fascinating for L.

World War II display

The museum is well worth a visit when visiting Sherwood Forest or Clumber Park, both of which are about ten minutes away.