The Submarine Museum at Gosport

I have wanted to visit the Submarine Museum at Gosport for a long time and when I realised I was passing very close nearby on my holiday I couldn't miss the opportunity. For anyone interested in our maritime history - and in particular submarine warfare - this museum is an absolute must. The site contains a second world war submarine that served through the Cold War, the first submarine that served in the Navy Royal Navy and a midget submarine from WWII.

HMS Alliance

Inside the Bow Torpedo Room

The Bow Torpedo Tubes

One of the 'Driving Seats' in the main control centre of the sub

The Engine Room

The subs Engine Order Telegraph

View Down the length of the sub

The Bow of the Alliance

The HMS Holland 1 was the first submarine commissioned by the Royal Navy

Despite being lost at sea in 1913 and not raised until 1982 the ship is in remarkable condition

The interior and the subs single torpedo tube

Guess who is enjoying his day out?

The Bow of the Holland One

Midget Submarine X24 - The X class was a World War II midget submarine class built for the Navy during 1943–44

View from above showing two hatches

The aft propeller and rudder assembly of the X24

Interior view - The X Class subs had a crew complement of 4

The Jolly Rodger flag of the HMS Conqueror - This was the Churchill-class nuclear-powered submarine that sunk the Argentinian cruiser General Belgrano in 1982

We only had a couple of hours here as we were travelling on to Sussex this day and couldn't stay longer. Having said that there was more to see and we could easily have stayed a couple of hours more had we been able to. Definitely worth another visit at some point in the future. 

Soldiers of Rye

While away on holiday I have tried to take the odd opportunity for some hobby related shopping in some small but perfectly formed independent shops. One of the nicest was a very small but exquisite model shop in the East Sussex town of Rye. Soldiers of Rye deals in hand painted military figures, toy soldiers, die-casting aircraft, military books, medals and prints and is run by the very knowledgeable Chris Viner.

I came across this shop while exploring this Cinque Port town on the edge of Romney Marsh just a few miles down the coast from Hastings. The shop itself is probably no more than ten foot square but every wall is filled with glass cases of painted figures, books, medals and prints. I treated myself to an original Tank Corps cap badge and spent a good while chatting to the proprietor about figure collecting and wargaming. A very nice chap and a wonderful little shop that is well worth a visit if you are in the area. 

Tank Men at Bovington

My recent family holiday to Dorset took us very close to Bovington Tank Museum and afforded me an opportunity to visit the new Tank Men exhibition. This new exhibition commemorates the centenary of the first tank attack in history by looking in detail at some of the first men to crew the new weapons. Unlike earlier exhibitions such as War Horse and Tank Factory this is not a completely new exhibition but is more of a reimagining of the existing World War 1 tank hall. All the existing WW1 tanks remain but are now complemented with additional display cabinets focusing on 8 individuals who joined the fledgling Tank Corps and saw action in 1916. 

Each story is told through personal artefacts unique to that individual. This made each display very personal - these were not just names on a list but real men, who risked and sometimes gave all in the service of the first Tanks. I felt it was a very sensitive and effective way of bringing the WW1 Tank hall up to date and made the story of this radical new weapon all the more interesting as a result. Here are a few pictures I took but you really need to experience the exhibition for yourself to get the full effect.

Tank Men Exhibition

A Male Tank crashes across German trenches

A German machine gun position.

Eliot Hotback was awarded a DSO and Bar, MC & Bar, and the Legion d'Honneur amongst others. 

Hotblacks DSO & MC

The Cambrai Diorama

Cambrai Flag was carried in a tan of A Battalion during the battle.

Good to see a Hadley amongst the first crews! It must be in our blood.

Sydney lost an eye during his service with the Tank Corp and wore a Glass Eye for the rest of his life. These were hand painted to match his remaining eye. 

All the existing tanks of the WWI Tank hall remain.

A British Whippet Tank from WWI

A Happy BigLee at his favourite museum.

One of the things I like about the Tank Museum is that is doesn't sit on its laurels. Every year they seem to have a new exhibition keeping the displays up to date and bringing visitors like me back time and time again. As always I heartily recommend a visit if you haven't been here before. 

A Little Holiday Reading

We are at the end of the first week of our holiday and we have had the usual mix of good and bad weather, days out and restful downtime. I was determined that this year I would make time to catch up on some reading. I'm always buying books that I don't get round to and my unread pile has reached epic proportions. So I selected seven books to take away with me in the hope of reading a couple by the end of the two weeks. 

The Analogue Painting Challenge has meant that the last few months have been very busy and painting focused. This isn't a bad thing, but it did squeeze out time for more leisurely pursuits like reading. Combine that with the fact that my job has been more than a little stressful lately and you have a recipe for a guy that really REALLY needs a holiday. The wife has also had a very busy month and between us all we want to do is flake out and rest...saying that we have still managed to fit in several local museums, shopping and exploration of local towns and lots of swimming and other fun stuff with the Padawan. 

Roll on week two!