Founded during WW1 to tell the stories of those whose lives had been touched by the conflict – objects were still being collected for the new Imperial War Museum whilst WW2 raged on.
The Imperial War Museum opened its first 'permanent' exhibition at Crystal Palace on 9 June 1920, after three years of temporary exhibitions and scattered storage.
In October 1939, the decision was made to expand the remit of the museum. Although the outcome of the current conflict was uncertain, the museum would also cover the events of the new war. A skeleton staff was maintained and the Lambeth Road site was used as a timber dump and a Royal Army Ordnance Corps billet. A barrage balloon was tethered in front of the building.
Ernest Blaikley, IWM’s first keeper of art, oversaw the evacuation of key works of art from the Imperial War Museum. The remaining collection proved useful. The library continued to function and the map collection was constantly reviewed. Photographs from WW1 were used for training and propaganda purposes.
In 1940, after the withdrawal of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) from Dunkirk created an acute shortage of equipment and weaponry, the museum was asked to help the military by handing over items from its collection. The trustees of the museum agreed to hand over some exhibits – but, because of its significance to the museum, refused to give up the gun manned by Jack Cornwell at the Battle of Jutland.
A short seaplane which had flown at the Battle of Jutland was shattered when a German bomb fell on the Naval Gallery on 31 January 1941. The group of men who had been working in the gallery repairing earlier damage had a narrow escape as they had left for lunch shortly before the bomb landed. This was just one of more than 40 incendiary hits on the building throughout the war.
The Imperial War Museum opened its first 'permanent' exhibition at Crystal Palace on 9 June 1920, after three years of temporary exhibitions and scattered storage.In October 1939, the decision was made to expand the remit of the museum. Although the outcome of the current conflict was uncertain, the museum would also cover the events of the new war. A skeleton staff was maintained and the Lambeth Road site was used as a timber dump and a Royal Army Ordnance Corps billet. A barrage balloon was tethered in front of the building.
Ernest Blaikley, IWM’s first keeper of art, oversaw the evacuation of key works of art from the Imperial War Museum. The remaining collection proved useful. The library continued to function and the map collection was constantly reviewed. Photographs from WW1 were used for training and propaganda purposes.
The Ministry of Works questioned the museum (1940) about failure to evacuate more of its collection. Some additional items were removed to the countryside – but the majority of the collection remained at the museum to face the risk of German bombs.
A short seaplane which had flown at the Battle of Jutland was shattered when a German bomb fell on the Naval Gallery on 31 January 1941. The group of men who had been working in the gallery repairing earlier damage had a narrow escape as they had left for lunch shortly before the bomb landed. This was just one of more than 40 incendiary hits on the building throughout the war.
Although the museum had been reopened briefly in 1940, and held two small exhibitions in 1944 and 1945, it did not officially reopen until 26 November 1946.
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