About
The Royal Military Police Museum at Southwick Park tells the story of British military policing from its earliest antecedents in the Napoleonic Wars through to the present-day operations of the Corps of Royal Military Police. Housed within the grounds of Southwick Park — the historic Hampshire estate where General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery coordinated the D-Day landings of June 1944 — the museum occupies a site of profound military significance. The collection chronicles over two centuries of service by military police, from the Staff Corps of Cavalry and the Military Mounted Police of the early nineteenth century to the formation of the Corps of Royal Military Police in 1926 and its modern role in policing, investigations, and close protection worldwide.
Displays encompass uniforms, equipment, medals, weapons, and documentary archives that trace how the role of military policing evolved through successive conflicts: the Boer War, both World Wars, Korea, Northern Ireland, the Falklands, the Gulf, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The museum gives particular prominence to the role of RMP personnel in the D-Day landings and the subsequent liberation of North-West Europe, reflecting the historic connections between the Corps and Southwick Park itself. Striking exhibits include the distinctive red caps and armbands that gave RMP soldiers their enduring nickname, a collection of captured enemy military police insignia, and records of the Provost Marshal's office stretching back through generations of service. Visitors gain an insight into the demanding dual role of the Corps — maintaining discipline and order within the armed forces while conducting criminal investigations and supporting military operations — and the often-unseen sacrifices made by those who served with the 'Red Caps' across the globe.
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Plan Your Visit
💡 Visitor Tips
- Telephone or email ahead before visiting — access to Southwick Park requires advance security clearance and entry is not guaranteed to walk-in visitors.
- Allow time for the security check-in process at the main gate; have photo ID ready.
- The D-Day planning map room at Southwick House is a separate attraction and requires its own visit arrangement — enquire when booking your museum visit.
- The museum is particularly rewarding for those with personal connections to the RMP — staff are happy to help with genealogical enquiries and service records research.
- Parking is available within the park once security clearance is confirmed — do not park outside the gate.
- There are no on-site catering facilities; bring your own refreshments or plan lunch in nearby Wickham village (3 miles).
- Group visits and educational tours can be arranged directly with the museum — contact in advance for tailored programmes.
- Combined visits with Portsmouth's Naval and D-Day museums make for a full day of military history; Portsmouth is approximately 30 minutes' drive south.
Highlights
D-Day and Southwick Park Connection
The museum's location at Southwick Park places it at the centre of one of history's most significant military operations.
It was here, at Southwick House, that General Eisenhower gave the final order to launch Operation Overlord on 6 June 1944, with the D-Day map room preserved nearby. The museum explores how RMP personnel played a critical role in the movement control and security operations that made the Normandy landings possible, managing the flow of men and materiel across southern England in the weeks before the invasion.
Formation of the Corps — 1926
A dedicated display charts the formal establishment of the Corps of Royal Military Police in 1926, tracing the lineage from the earlier Military Mounted Police (1877) and Military Foot Police (1885). Exhibits include original formation documents, early Corps insignia, and the evolution of the distinctive red cap that has defined the RMP's identity for nearly a century.
The display contextualises how the modern Corps emerged from the lessons of the First World War, when the need for organised military policing became undeniable.
Medals and Honours Collection
One of the museum's most striking displays presents a comprehensive collection of medals awarded to RMP personnel across two centuries of service. From Victorian campaign medals earned in colonial conflicts to gallantry awards from the Falklands, Northern Ireland, Iraq, and Afghanistan, the collection documents individual acts of courage alongside the institutional achievements of the Corps.
Each medal group is accompanied by biographical information about the recipient, giving human depth to what might otherwise remain abstracted military history.
Uniforms and Equipment Through the Ages
A chronological display of RMP uniforms from the late Victorian era to the present demonstrates how military police dress evolved in response to operational requirements and technological change. Early khaki dress of the Boer War era gives way to the battledress of the Second World War, the combat uniform of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, and the modern multi-terrain pattern worn by today's Corps.
Accompanying exhibits include batons, handcuffs, whistles, motorcycles, and communications equipment that shaped how military policing was conducted across different eras.
Collections
The Royal Military Police Museum holds several thousand objects relating to the history of British military policing from the Napoleonic Wars to the present. The core collection comprises uniforms, medals, weapons, equipment, photographs, documents, and personal memorabilia donated by serving and former members of the Corps of Royal Military Police and its predecessor formations.
Significant archival holdings include records of the Provost Marshal's office, operational orders, court martial proceedings, and personal diaries.
The museum also holds a library of publications relating to military law, policing procedures, and the history of the Corps, making it an important research resource for military historians and legal scholars.
The collection is particularly strong in its coverage of the two World Wars, when military policing underwent rapid expansion and operational diversification, and of the post-war decades when the RMP played a sustained role in British operations across Germany, the Middle East, and Northern Ireland.
Two Centuries of Military Policing
The main permanent exhibition tracing the history of British military policing from the Napoleonic-era antecedents through the formation and development of the Corps of Royal Military Police to contemporary operations.
D-Day and the Liberation of Europe
Dedicated display on the RMP's role in Operation Overlord and the subsequent campaign in North-West Europe, with particular reference to the historic connection between Southwick Park and the planning of the D-Day landings.
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.