Last week, a group of OHs enjoyed a fascinating visit to the National Army Museum in London, where we were given a special guided tour of the Museum’s collections.

Our guide, Tom, provided an incredibly informative and often amusing tour, giving us a fascinating insight into the history, structure and heritage of the British Army. One particularly interesting part of the visit was learning more about the history of the Indian Army, including its organisation, traditions and role within the wider history of the British Army.

This also provided a wonderful link to the Chapple collection, examples of which we were able to see during our tour, including some of John’s collection of military badges and insignia. Tom explained that further items from the Chapple collection can be found at Sandhurst and Stevenage, so there is clearly much more to discover.

There was another particularly special moment for our group when we spotted a self-portrait by renowned artist and OH Rex Whistler (Hi 1919). Painted in May 1940, the portrait shows Whistler in his Welsh Guards uniform. Following D-Day, his regiment crossed the Channel to Normandy, equipped with Cromwell tanks. Whistler was tragically killed in action on 18 July 1944, on his first day in combat, while attempting to get help for his men after their tank became trapped in telegraph wires. Seeing his self-portrait among the Museum’s collections was an unexpected and poignant connection to Haileybury.

The visit offered a fascinating combination of military history, remarkable objects and personal stories, with plenty to interest everyone in the group. Tom’s knowledge and enthusiasm brought the collections to life and made the afternoon both informative and thoroughly enjoyable.

We would like to thank the National Army Museum for facilitating our visit, and especially Tom for such an engaging and entertaining tour. We are very grateful for the opportunity to explore the Museum and learn more about its remarkable collections.

And having heard about the additional Chapple material at Sandhurst and Stevenage, we may just have to continue our exploration another time!