Collection: Lancashire Infantry Museum

Collection-level records:

• Collection history (Collection development policy)

  An idea for a Loyal Regiment Museum was first mentioned in the Regimental Magazine ‘The Lancashire Lad’ in 1928. In just over 12 months a museum had been opened up in Fulwood Barracks, Preston from gifts received from the public and regimental family. Although nobody knows the exact date, we do know that a collection of Loyal objects was available to view in November 1929.

  Over the years The East Lancashire Regimental Collection (originally displayed in Blackburn Museum and Towneley Hall in Burnley) and The South Lancashire Regimental Collection, The Lancashire Regiment (The Price of Wales’s Volunteers) (originally displayed at Peninsular Barracks, Warrington) have joined The Loyal Regiment Collection at Fulwood Barracks, forming The Queen’s Lancashire Regimental Collection. Material in the collection has predominately been donated to the museum with only a few loans being accepted the most notable being a collection loaned from Warrington Museum in 1932.

  A range of curators have been employed throughout the life of the museum. Originally, these were unqualified but enthusiastic retired regimental officers. In 1997 Lt Col Mike Glover (Assistant Regimental Secretary and Curator of the museum) obtained an MA in Museum Studies from Leicester University and two years later Associate Membership of the Museums Association. From 2000 onwards civilian museum staff have been employed. Garry Smith was the Assistant Curator (2000-2004) followed by Curator Jane Davies (2005-2020) and Dominic Butler (Assistant Curator, 2013-2019). Garry Smith assumed the post of Curator (2021) and Thomas Mallinson, Assistant Curator (2019).

  Collecting has remained consistent and focused on material with a direct connection to the current and antecedent regiments. Collecting will continue and from 2006 has included material relating to The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment formed in 2006 from an amalgamation of several of the North West’s infantry regiments. Although it remains the Queen’s Lancashire Regimental Collection, to reflect the amalgamation the title of the museum was changed to that of The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment Lancashire Infantry Museum (LIM)

  At various times, a significant amount of material has also been loaned to and displayed at a variety of locations across the county including the Museum of Lancashire in Preston, the Harris Museum in Preston, Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery, Towneley Hall, Warrington Museum and Art Gallery and St Helens Museum. In 2022 the collection is predominately consolidated at The LIM with material still on loan to some of these locations as well as other sites.

  The LIM proudly displays the history of these Regiments and tells the stories of the men who served, and the women and children associated with them.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2022

  Licence: CC BY-NC

• Collection overview (Collection development policy)

  The Regimental Collection consists of 48,055 accessioned items currently recorded on MODES, representing nearly 120 individual military units from 1689 to the present day. The Collection contains material covering the 30th, 40th, 47th, 59th, 81st and 82nd Regiments of Foot, The East Lancashire Regiment, The South Lancashire Regiment (PWV), The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire), The Lancashire Regiment (PWV), The Queen’s Lancashire Regiment and The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment as well as related Militia, Volunteer, Territorial, Home Guard and Cadet units.

  The Museum collections comprise of a wide range of military related objects including medals, silver, uniforms, clothing, headwear, footwear, badges, insignia, campaign relics, accoutrements, personal load carrying equipment, personal items, flags, banners, textiles, water-colours, oil paintings, prints, engravings, china, glass, cutlery, cooking utensils, musical instruments, radio and signalling equipment, firearms, edged weapons and ordnance.

  The material held and collected explicitly relates to the museum’s mission. The Collection is particularly strong in its breadth and depth, specifically with regard to its extensive medal collection, large uniform collection and in particular to its extensive archive holdings of primary source material, some dating back to the early 17th Century. The Archive also holds many rare and important primary sources particularly useful in the study of the First World War.

  The Document Archive comprises personal papers and diaries, unit and general documents, correspondence, maps, commemorative brochures, orders of service, instruction books/manuals, pamphlets and leaflets.

  The Photographic and Image Archive includes glass plate, b/w negatives, colour negatives, a large range of b/w photographs c. 1850 to date, colour photographs (in albums and loose), slides, some film, video, and images on Disk/DVD). Photographs are contained in albums, boxed and many in conservation sleeves/pockets.

  There is a small but significant amount of sound recordings on audio cassette, earlier formats and record.

  The Museum Library includes regimental histories and magazines, Army Lists, military journals and magazines, general military history and reference books.

  The museum has a discrete handling collection of replica and period ‘bought-in’ items which is both used on-gallery and off-site to assist in various education sessions which are run in partnership with the Heritage Learning Team of Lancashire County Council, these are not accessioned items.

  While the documentation plan details how the collection will be more fully documented going forward current estimates of key collections include:

  • Medals (3000+)
  • Uniform (500+)
  • Firearms (169)
  • Edged Weapons (100+)
  • Free from Explosive (FFE) Items (207+)
  • Paintings (35+)
  • Framed objects (200+)
  • Silver (100+)
  • Drums and other musical instruments (75+)
  • Ceramics (100+)
  • Ceremonial wear i.e. Colour belts etc (75+)
  • Colours and other textiles (i.e. Regimental Association Flags) (50+)
  • Memorial Plaques (150)
  • Axis material (100+)
  • Archive paper-based material (approx. 10,000+)
  • Photographs (7500+)

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2022

  Licence: CC BY-NC