MILITARY BAND PLAN LOCAL CAROL CONCERT

Residents of south east London and north east Kent can soon get well and truly into the Christmas spirit with a festive carol concert featuring the renowned Royal Artillery Orchestra. The concert on the evening of Saturday 18 December will take place in the atmospheric setting of Firepower The Royal Artillery Museum in the historic Royal Arsenal, Woolwich. Traditional Christmas carols will be performed and the audience will be welcome to join in or just listen and enjoy the festive entertainment.

The concert will start at 7pm, tickets cost £5 seated, £3 standing and can be pre-booked on 0208 312 7123. The concert will last about 90 minutes and the Museum Cafe Bistro will be open afterwards for seasonal treats and supper - reservations can be made.

Firepower, The Royal Artillery Museum, Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, SE18 6ST

MUSEUM PREPARES FOR UNIQUE NINE DAY HISTORY EVENT‏



A re-enactor from La Columna portraying a British
anti-fascist volunteer during Spanish Civil War, 1938.



For nine days from Saturday 23 to Sunday 31 October Firepower, The Royal Artillery Museum will be staging a range of events and activities marking those same days in October throughout history. No two days will be the same and on each day visitors can find out what was happening on that day in history.

The unique event, Nine Days in History, will begin over the weekend of Saturday 23 to Sunday 24 October with two days of living history. Among the characters from history who will be there to meet visitors will be British volunteers fighting the fascists in the Spanish Civil War and wartime Gunners. There will also be film shows, Firepower’s own vintage radio station broadcasting round the world and family history experts. Visitors arriving in their own period costume (only Allied allowed) will get a free gift. Residents of the London Borough of Greenwich will have free admission for the Living History weekend of 23-24 October.

During the school holidays from Monday 25 to Friday 29 October the Museum will be providing a range of great family friendly activities including military style drills with soldiers, free fun tours, making a gas mask, firing a real wartime 25 pounder gun, dressing up in uniform, Hunt the Horrible trails, wartime storytelling, bungee run and Firepower’s firing range.

Nine Days in History will end on the weekend of Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 October with the Royal Arsenal Heritage Quarter Community History Days. Again for these two days, residents of the London Borough of Greenwich will get free admission. These two full days of heritage activity in and around Firepower and the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich. Re-enactors including Firepower’s Living History Team will bring exhibits to life, family history experts will be on hand, there will be talks and tours on the historic Royal Arsenal, archive films of old Woolwich and wargaming demonstrations. Due to popular demand a Halloween ghost tour will take place on the evening of Sunday 31st.

Firepower, The Royal Artillery Museum is based at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich - the birthplace of the Royal Artillery that was founded there in 1716. The Museum is acknowledged as the world’s oldest and premier artillery museum. Firepower tells the story of the Gunners – the more than 2.5 million men and women of the Royal Artillery, and the part they have played in history and their role today in the front line with the British Army. Tales of extraordinary heroism and endeavour are presented alongside explanations of the technological and scientific advances driven by the development of artillery from Roman times to the present day. Experiences at Firepower include the ground-shaking Field of Fire audio-visual show where visitors are put in the midst of battle as shells and aircraft fly overhead and guns roar all around, giving an insight into the experiences of an artillery gunner.

Firepower will be open from 10.30am each day and is located in the historic Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, London, between the A206 and the Thames. Woolwich Arsenal DLR station is just a five minute walk from the Museum. Normal admission costs: Adults £5.00, children £2.50, concessions £4.50. Discounted family tickets are also available.

MUSEUM EVENT TO CELEBRATE WARTIME HOME FRONT HEROES

Firepower, The Royal Artillery Museum is to mark the sacrifice of Britain’s wartime population with a special living history event on Saturday 11 September. Fighting on the Home Front will give visitors a unique insight into the daily life of the people who for a variety of reasons remained at home while the Second World War raged around the globe..

The Museum's own living history team will be representing soldiers recently returned from Dunkirk, while the ARP Warden will be telling visitors what to do in an air raid and no doubt to "Put that light out!" Local Defence Volunteers, the forerunner of the Home Guard (Dad's Army) will be drilled while archive film of Woolwich and London in the Blitz are shown in the Museum’s cinema. Visitors will also get to meet a policeman, fireman, Land Girl and some members of the Home Guard too as well as a young woman talking of her role as an anti-aircraft gunner during the Blitz. As well as the re-enactors, the event will also provide the opportunity to meet members of the Evacuee Association, real evacuees who will tell their stories of being young in wartime Britain.

“We are delighted to be hosting this event to recall and salute the people who fought on Britain’s Home Front during the Second World War” says Eileen Noon from the Museum “Working in factories, manning anti-aircraft guns and simply carrying on all kept Britain going while the Services were fighting on the front line. This event will remind the public that the war was fought everywhere, including the Home Front. Air raids, evacuation and rationing were just part of their experience, as were bravery, deprivation and sacrifice.”

Firepower, The Royal Artillery Museum is based at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich - the birthplace of the Royal Artillery that was founded there in 1716. The Museum is acknowledged as the world’s oldest and premier artillery museum. Firepower tells the story of the Gunners – the more than 2.5 million men and women of the Royal Artillery, and the part they have played in history and their role today in the front line with the British Army. Tales of extraordinary heroism and endeavour are presented alongside explanations of the technological and scientific advances driven by the development of artillery from Roman times to the present day. Experiences at Firepower include the ground-shaking Field of Fire audio-visual show where visitors are put in the midst of battle as shells and aircraft fly overhead and guns roar all around, giving an insight into the experiences of an artillery gunner.

Firepower will be open from 10.30 on the day and is located in the historic Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, London, between the A206 and the Thames. Woolwich Arsenal DLR station is just a five minute walk from the Museum.

Admission costs: Adults £5.00, children £2.50, concessions £4.50.

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

Firepower, The Royal Artillery Museum, Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, London, SE18 6ST

FIREPOWER MUSEUM TO MAKE SURE SCHOOL HOLIDAYS GO WITH A BANG

Firepower, The Royal Artillery Museum in Woolwich has announced its programme of family activities for the coming school holidays. Firepower is always a favourite destination for families looking for a fun and interesting day out and these school holidays will be no exception. The famous museum has lined up activities and experiences that will guarantee that a visit to Firepower really does have something for the whole family.

Day-long programmes of free activities will include military drill, crafts, films, meeting wartime characters and playing games. Extra activities (small additional cost of £1.50 per activity) include Firepower’s popular Camo Zone where children can try their skill on the Firing Range, take the Bungee Run challenge or do battle in Tank Command. Perhaps the most exciting of all is the chance to fire a genuine Second World War 25 pounder gun and everyone who fires the gun gets a commemorative certificate.

Firepower, The Royal Artillery Museum is based at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich - the birthplace of the Royal Artillery that was founded there in 1716. The Museum is acknowledged as the world’s oldest and premier artillery museum. Firepower tells the story of the Gunners – the more than 2.5 million men and women of the Royal Artillery, and the part they have played in history and their role today in the front line with the British Army. Tales of extraordinary heroism and endeavour are presented alongside explanations the technological and scientific advances driven by the development of artillery from Roman times to the present day. Experiences at Firepower include the ground-shaking Field of Fire audio-visual show where visitors are put in the midst of battle as shells and aircraft fly overhead and guns roar all around, giving an insight into the experiences of an artillery gunner.

Firepower will be open daily from 10.30 to 5pm during the school holidays and is located in the historic Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, London, between the A206 and the Thames. Woolwich Arsenal DLR station is just a five minute walk.

Admission costs: Adults £5.00, children £2.50, concessions £4.50. Discounted family tickets are also available.

Re-enactors Prepare to Salute Vast Wartime Airborne Airborne

The 39-45 Living History Society will be at London’s Firepower, The Royal Artillery Museum on the weekend of 20-21 March to mark the 65th anniversary of Operation Varsity, the Allied invasion of Germany. The team of expert re-enactors will be portraying airborne Royal Artillery Gunners who took part in Operation Varsity, the vast airborne operation of the Second World War that took place on 24 Mar 1944.

Operation Varsity was a joint American and British airborne operation and involved more than 16,000 paratroopers and several thousand aircraft. It was the largest airborne operation in history to be conducted on a single day and in one location. The re-enactors will salute the men who took part in the operation by using and wearing original wartime clothing, equipment and vehicles (including a Jeep and motorcycle) alongside relevant exhibits from Firepower's world-renowned artillery collection. The 39-45 Living History Society pride themselves on the accuracy of their equipment and recreations which have been scrutinised and verified by historians and veterans alike.

Firepower, The Royal Artillery Museum is based at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich - the birthplace of the Royal Artillery which was founded there in 1716. The Museum is acknowledged as the world’s oldest and premier artillery museum. Firepower tells the story of the Gunners – the more than 2 million men and women of the Royal Artillery, and the part they have played in history and their role today in the front line with the British Army. Tales of extraordinary heroism and endeavour are presented alongside explanations the technological and scientific advances driven by the development of artillery from Roman times to the present day. Experiences at Firepower include the ground-shaking Field of Fire audio-visual show where visitors are put in the midst of battle as shells and aircraft fly overhead and guns roar all around, giving an insight into the experiences of an artillery gunner.

Firepower, The Royal Artillery Museum, Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, London, SE18 6ST.

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

WARTIME EVACUEES GATHER TO TALK ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES

photo courtesy of Royal Artillery Museum


The remarkable experiences of London’s children during the Second World War are to be commemorated at a unique event on Saturday 5 September. Seventy years on, Firepower, The Royal Artillery Museum, in Woolwich, is to host the unique Wartime Evacuees Day. This moving day of memories and nostalgia will include an exhibition of evacuee memorabilia, archive films, living history re-enactors and, most importantly, give visitors the opportunity to meet and talk to evacuees themselves about their experiences seven decades ago.


With enemy bombing attacks expected as soon as the Second World War started, Operation Pied Piper began. This was the evacuation of Britain's cities - the biggest and most concentrated mass movement of people in Britain's history. In the first four days of September 1939, nearly 3,000,000 people, mostly schoolchildren, were transported to places of safety in the countryside. Over September 1 - 3 1939, officials evacuated over 1.5 million women and children from ‘danger zones’ in London alone. In buses and trains, children left the city to find refuge in the country. The authorities did not want chaotic scenes at London’s train and bus stations so insisted that parents said goodbye to their children in the school playground where they had to assemble. The older children were often given the enormous responsibility of looking after their younger brothers and sisters.


“For some, evacuation was a welcome adventure and escape from their homes in London” says Eileen Noon from Firepower “But for others it was a terrifying and heartbreaking separation from their parents and their friends. Nobody knew when they would return to London or if they would see their home again. Our Wartime Evacuees Day will give visitors the opportunity to meet evacuees and hear their stories first hand.”


The event will also feature an exhibition about local people's experiences during the war entitled Woolwich and the Blitz. Firepower's own living history team will be on duty for the event so visitors can meet and talk to a wartime ARP air raid warden, two Royal Artillery Gunners, soldiers manning an anti-tank gun as well as Local Defence Volunteers - the forerunners of the Home Guard made famous in BBC TV's Dad's Army. Archive films will be shown in the Museum cinema and the Museum will be open as normal.


Firepower, The Royal Artillery Museum is based at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich - the birthplace of the Royal Artillery which was founded there in 1716. The Museum tells the story of the Gunners - the men and women of the Royal Artillery, and the part they have played in history and their role today in the front line with the British Army. Tales of extraordinary heroism and endeavour are presented alongside explanations the technological and scientific advances driven by the development of artillery from Roman times to the present day. Experiences at Firepower include the ground-shaking Field of Fire audio-visual show where visitors are put in the midst of battle as shells and aircraft fly overhead and guns roar all around, giving an insight into the experiences of an artillery gunner.


Wartime Evacuees Day – Saturday 5 September
Admission: Discounted family tickets £12.00, Adults £5.00, Children £2.50, Concessions £4.50.
Firepower, The Royal Artillery Museum, Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, London, SE18 6ST


For more information about Firepower visit www.firepower.org.uk , call 020 8855 7755 or email info@firepower.org.uk.

Special Treat At Royal Artillery Museum This Sunday, August 9

Visitors to Firepower The Royal Artillery Museum are in for a special treat this Sunday, 9 August. The popular heritage attraction within the Royal Arsenal Woolwich is hosting an afternoon of rousing military music with The 1st Cinque Ports Rifle Volunteers Corps of Drums.

The Corps is a group of civilian enthusiasts keen to promote and preserve the traditions and music of the British Army’s drum, flute and bugle Corps of Drums. The group has adopted the title and eye-catching scarlet full dress of the pre-1908 Cinque Ports Rifle Volunteers as a mark of respect for those who served as Volunteers in the past.

Popularly known as fifes and drums, the Corps of Drums is Britain's oldest military music. From the early 1500s drums, and later drums and fifes, signalled soldiers' movements on the battlefield, and cheered them on the march and in camp. By Victorian times the Corps of Drums had assumed its modern form - lead by a Drum Major and consisting of side-drummers, tenor drummers, a bass drummer, a cymbalist and flute players.

The demonstration will begin with a marching display at 2pm, static playing from 2.45 – 3pm then another marching and playing display at 4pm.Firepower, The Royal Artillery Museum is based at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, the birthplace of the Royal Artillery which was founded there in 1716. The history of artillery is illustrated by Firepower’s world-class display of artillery from catapults to rockets, from the medieval battlefield to modern peacekeeping missions, the collections including uniforms, drawings, diaries and medals bring together 700 years of artillery and human history.

Experiences at Firepower include the ground-shaking Field of Fire audio-visual show where visitors are put in the midst of battle as shells and aircraft fly overhead and guns roar, giving an insight into the experiences of an artillery gunner.

Admission to the Museum costs: Adults £5.00, children £2.50, concessions £4.50. Discounted family tickets are also available. For more information about Firepower visit www.firepower.org.uk , call 020 8855 7755 or email info@firepower.org.uk. Firepower is located in the historic Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, London, between the A206 and the Thames.

MUSEUM APPEALS FOR INFORMATION ON WARTIME PLANE CRASH

The Library and Archives Team at Firepower, The Royal Artillery Museum are looking for witnesses to an historic event that took place almost seven decades ago. On 31 July 1940 an RAF Spitfire piloted by Flying Officer Robin Waterston was shot down in combat over London and crashed near the Royal Artillery Barracks and Repository Road Woolwich Common near, Woolwich. The Museum wants to pinpoint the exact location of the crash site and would like to hear from anyone who remembers the incident.

Anyone with information about the crash or crash site can contact Mark Smith, Curator, Firepower, The Royal Artillery Museum, Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, London SE18 6ST, call 0208 312 7120 or email marks@firepower.org.uk

Firepower The Royal Artillery Museum is based at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, the birthplace of the Royal Artillery which was founded there in 1716. The history of artillery is illustrated by Firepower’s world-class display of artillery from catapults to rockets, from the medieval battlefield to modern peacekeeping missions, the collections including uniforms, drawings, diaries and medals bring together 700 years of artillery and human history.

Experiences at Firepower include the ground-shaking Field of Fire audio-visual show where visitors are put in the midst of battle as shells and aircraft fly overhead and guns roar, giving an insight into the experiences of an artillery gunner.

For more information about Firepower visit www.firepower.org.uk , call 020 8855 7755 or email info@firepower.org.uk . Firepower is located in the historic Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, London, between the A206 and the Thames.

ROYAL ARSENAL TO HOST MAJOR COMMUNITY HISTORY EVENT

The Community History Day will show how the Royal Artillery have shaped family history in the area of Woolwich

Firepower’s experts will explain how medals can help you add to your family history.

On the day and evening of Saturday 16 May, the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, south-east London, will host the first Royal Arsenal Community History Day. Visitors will be able to experience a full day and night’s activity in and around Firepower The Royal Artillery Museum and the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich.

Firepower’s Living History Team will be bringing the past to life with their historic characters while fans of family history can get advice about researching their own family tree from Firepower’s own genealogy experts. Local author and Royal Artillery expert Brigadier Ken Timbers will be giving talks on the history of the Royal Arsenal and the unique architectural gem within the Royal Arsenal - the Old Royal Military Academy. Local Scouts will also be performing Gang Show routines.

Local residents (those with an SE18 or SE28 postcode) will enjoy free entry to the Museum with proof of identity. The event will go on until 10pm as part of the Europe-wide Museums at Night programme. There will be a display of previously unseen historic photographs of the Royal Arsenal complex and its workers so local residents can look for their relatives and ancestors. The fun continues into the evening with expert guided tours of the Royal Arsenal while lectures by Firepower’s Curator will tell the gripping and moving stories behind some of the Museum’s collection of medals awarded for bravery. The Museum’s refurbished Café (fully licensed, 3 course menu) will also remain open until 10pm.

“This is the first community history event to take place in the Royal Arsenal” says Firepower’s Eileen Noon “We want to showcase the heritage of this fascinating part of south-east London and highlight how people’s own history may be entwined with the history of the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich and perhaps the Royal Artillery. We are delighted to offer free admission to local residents for this event to encourage them to find out that history can be fascinating and fun.”

Firepower is located in the historic Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, London, between the A206 and the Thames.

Admission costs: Local residents with an SE18 or SE28 postcode will enjoy free entry to the Museum with proof of identity. Other visitors - adults £5.00, children £2.50, concessions £4.50. Discounted family tickets are also available.For more information about Firepower visit http://www.firepower.org.uk/, call 020 8855 7755 or email info@firepower.org.uk.

MILITARY VEHICLE BUFFS TO MAKE TRACKS TO WOOLWICH

Over the weekend of February 14 - 15, Firepower The Royal Artillery Museum is staging the UK’s first historic military vehicle rally of 2009. Classic military vehicles from the Second World War through to the 1990s will gather at the museum located in the Royal Arsenal Woolwich in south-east London. The popular rally, now in its fifth year, will give military vehicle enthusiasts and the general public their first chance to experience an event of this kind this year.

Participants and visitors are expected from across the south-east of England to see vehicles expected to include military staff cars, Jeeps, armoured cars and military trucks, most of which date from the Second World War. The vehicles will be lined up outside the Museum in the historic riverside setting of the Royal Arsenal for inspection by visitors and their owners will be delighted to talk to visitors about their pride and joy and show off the interiors of their classic military types. The Museum will be open as normal with Firepower’s world-class collection of historic artillery and supporting exhibitions. The Museum’s amateur radio station will also be broadcasting over the weekend and visitors will have a chance to get on the air themselves using preserved military radio equipment.

“Firepower’s annual military vehicle weekend is very popular with enthusiasts and general visitors alike.“ says Eileen Noon of Firepower “This event, our first of the year, launches our week of school holiday activities so we look forward to welcoming lots of families too.” Firepower is located in the historic Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, London, between the A206 and the Thames.

Admission costs: Adults £5.00, children £2.50, concessions £4.50. Discounted family tickets are also available.

For more information about Firepower visit www.firepower.org.uk call 020 8855 7755 or email info@firepower.org.uk


Firepower, The Royal Artillery Museum, Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, London, SE18 6ST

FIREPOWER TO HOST BOOK LAUNCH CELEBRATING THREE CENTURIES OF WOOLWICH GUNNERS HISTORY

Firepower, The Royal Artillery Museum is about to play host to the launch of the definitive book on the long-lasting relationship between the Royal Artillery – the Gunners - and Woolwich where the Regiment was founded in 1716.

The book entitled The Royal Artillery Woolwich – a celebration will be launched at Firepower on the evening of Thursday 20 November between 6.30 and 8.30pm and the media are invited to attend. Many Gunners both serving and retired will be present. The Royal Artillery Band Quintet and Fanfare Trumpeters will provide appropriate music for the auspicious occasion.

Woolwich is the place most closely identified with the traditions, skills and professionalism for which the Royal Artillery is renowned. The Regiment’s historic move from Woolwich to Larkhill in 2007 prompted this look back over more than two centuries of Gunner and Woolwich history which is essential reading for anyone with an interest in the history of South East London. The book's Consultant Editor is Brigadier Ken Timbers who has served four tours of duty with the Royal Artillery in Woolwich.

The 192 page 75,000 word volume has over 200 images in both colour and black and white and is available from the Museum Shop in person, by calling 020 8312 7134 or visiting www.firepower.org.uk/shop. Sales of the book which is priced £45 will directly benefit the Royal Artillery Museum.

Firepower, The Royal Artillery Museum is based at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, the birthplace of the Royal Artillery which was founded there in 1716. The history of artillery is illustrated by Firepower’s world-class display of artillery from catapults to rockets, from the medieval battlefield to modern peacekeeping missions, the collections including uniforms, drawings, diaries and medals bring together 700 years of artillery and human history. Experiences at Firepower include the ground-shaking Field of Fire audio-visual show where visitors are put in the midst of battle as shells and aircraft fly overhead and guns roar, giving an insight into the experiences of an artillery gunner.

For more information about Firepower visit www.firepower.org.uk, call 020 8855 7755 or email info@firepower.org.uk. Firepower is located in the historic Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, London, between the A206 and the Thames.

MUSEUM TO HOST SOUTH EAST LONDON’S ANNUAL MULTI FAITH ACT OF REMEMBRANCE

South-East London’s annual Community Multi Faith Act of Remembrance will be held at Firepower, the Royal Artillery Museum in the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich on Sunday 9 November at 3pm. The ceremony, which is open to the public and is free of charge, will remember the sacrifices made by all nations and faiths in times of war.

Faiths represented from the south east London community will include Bahai, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Quaker and Sikh. “This event proved very popular with the community when it was launched in 2007 so the Museum is delighted to host it again this year.” Says Eileen Noon from Firepower.

“Our Museum is located in an area peopled by residents of many faiths and this is an opportunity for all to pay their respects and remember together as one. “ Local Lewisham College has been invited to provide projected displays on a remembrance theme for the event which will close with The Last Post being sounded, followed by a two minute silence. At the end the Reveille will sound led by a local Army Cadet Band. Deputy Lieutenant for Greenwich Dr Cyril Young will be present as will representatives of the London Assembly and the Metropolitan Police.

A representative from each faith and other community representatives will come forward and may light a candle, and then give a short reading or prayer or meditation. War veterans of the Second World War and more recent conflicts will also be present. His Worship the Mayor of Greenwich, Councillor Steve Offord, will light a candle and say a few words on behalf of Greenwich Council and the wider community. The Mayor will then place a wreath in front of the Museum’s memorial to the fallen of the First World War and the book recalling soldiers of the Royal Artillery who have died in recent conflicts.

The Community Multi Faith Act of Remembrance will be held on Sunday 9 November and will start at 3.00pm and finish at 4.00pm. Refreshments will be served after the Act of Remembrance and all are invited to attend. Admission to the ceremony is free of charge.

The Royal Artillery Museum is located in the historic Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, London, between the A206 and the Thames. For more information about Firepower visit www.firepower.org.uk, call 020 8855 7755 or email info@firepower.org.uk .

Firepower, The Royal Artillery Museum, Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, London, SE18 6ST.