About
The Royal Leicestershire Regiment — nicknamed 'The Tigers' from its long service in India — is one of the county regiments that defined the British Army's character from the eighteenth century to the era of amalgamations that transformed the regimental system in the 1960s. The regiment's museum is housed within the Newarke Houses Museum complex in Leicester's historic Newarke district, placing military history in the context of the medieval and post-medieval city that raised and sent so many of its soldiers to conflict around the world.
The regiment traces its origins to the 17th Regiment of Foot, raised in 1688 during the Glorious Revolution. 'The Tigers' nickname — and the regiment's tiger badge — derive from service in India with the East India Company and subsequently the British Indian Army during the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Bengal tigers appear prominently in the regiment's insignia, and the Indian connection shaped the regiment's identity for generations.
The collection's First World War material is among its most powerful. The Royal Leicestershire Regiment suffered catastrophic losses on the Western Front, most devastatingly at the Battle of the Somme in 1916. Personal items — letters, photographs, diaries, and everyday objects — belonging to men who served and died in France and Flanders give human dimension to statistics of industrial slaughter that can otherwise overwhelm comprehension. The regiment also served at Gallipoli in 1915, a campaign whose material record is represented in the collection.
The Second World War collections document service in North Africa, Italy, and north-west Europe. The regiment's involvement in the liberation of Europe in 1944–45 and its post-war service in the final years of the Empire are also covered.
The regiment was amalgamated in 1964 to form the Royal Anglian Regiment, ending 276 years of separate existence. The museum preserves the memory and material culture of those centuries of service, ensuring that the men who served under the tiger badge and their families can find and understand their stories.
Entry to the museum is included with admission to the Newarke Houses complex.
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Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
💡 Visitor Tips
- The museum is housed within the Newarke Houses Museum complex — entry through the Magazine Gateway creates the perfect introduction to one of Leicester's most historic areas.
- The First World War collections are particularly moving — allow extra time in the Gallipoli and Somme sections if you have family or community connections to the regiment.
- Entry is free for both the regimental museum and the Newarke Houses Museum displays — budget for a combined visit of at least 90 minutes to do justice to both.
- Leicester station is about 12 minutes' walk, making this very accessible by train from London (about 1 hour on the Midland Main Line) or from Nottingham and Derby.
- The Jewry Wall — one of the largest surviving Roman buildings in Britain — is a 15-minute walk across the city centre and makes an excellent addition to a Leicester heritage day.
- Family historians with Leicestershire and Rutland ancestors who served in the regiment can enquire about the museum's records and photograph collections — contact the museum in advance.
- Veterans of the Royal Anglian Regiment (the Tigers' successor) and their families are particularly welcomed, and the museum is active in commemorative events and reunions.
- The Museum of Leicester at New Walk is another excellent free option nearby, with extensive Roman, Egyptian, and natural history collections that complement the Newarke Houses.
Highlights
The Tiger Badge and Indian Army Heritage
The Royal Leicestershire Regiment's distinctive tiger insignia and 'The Tigers' nickname derive from service in India during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, when the regiment fought alongside the East India Company forces in the sub-continent. The museum explores this Indian connection — Bengal tigers on the badge, cap, and colours; service against Tipu Sultan; and the regiment's role in establishing the British presence in India.
The tiger theme runs through the entire collection, from the earliest regimental silver to First World War cap badges worn by Leicestershire men at Gallipoli.
Gallipoli 1915 Collections
The Royal Leicestershire Regiment's service at Gallipoli in 1915 is one of the most intensely documented episodes in the museum's collections. The Dardanelles campaign — conceived to knock Turkey out of the war and relieve pressure on the Western Front — became one of the war's great catastrophes, with enormous casualties on both sides for no decisive result.
Personal items belonging to men who served on the peninsula — diaries, letters home, photographs, and small objects salvaged from the fighting — form one of the most emotionally powerful parts of the collection.
Somme and Western Front Material
The Battle of the Somme on 1 July 1916 was the bloodiest single day in British military history, and the Royal Leicestershire Regiment bore its share of catastrophic loss. The museum's Western Front collections span the whole course of the war in France and Flanders, from the opening battles of 1914 through the attrition of the middle years to the final advance of 1918.
Weapons, uniforms, personal possessions, and documentary evidence tell the story of ordinary Leicestershire men who endured four years of industrial warfare.
Regimental Silver and Ceremonial
The regiment's collection of silver — accumulated over two and a half centuries of service — represents both the social traditions of the British officers' mess and the craft skills of the silversmiths who made presentation pieces commemorating campaigns, victories, and distinguished service. Tiger-themed pieces predominate, from early nineteenth-century racing trophies to elaborate presentation centrepieces from the Indian and Egyptian campaigns.
The silver speaks to the ceremonial culture of the regimental system and the pride that bound successive generations of officers together.
Collections
The Museum of the Royal Leicestershire Regiment holds the complete material heritage of one of England's historic county regiments across 276 years of service from 1688 to 1964. The collection includes medals, uniforms, weapons, Colours, regimental silver, and extensive personal and documentary material relating to campaigns from India and Egypt through the Napoleonic Wars, the Victorian Empire, Gallipoli, the Somme, North Africa, and Italy.
The First World War collections are particularly rich in personal material — diaries, letters, photographs — that illuminates the human experience of industrial warfare.
The museum holds the records and photographs of men from Leicestershire and Rutland who served in the regiment, making it a significant resource for family historians with connections to the county and its military heritage.
The Tigers: Regiment and History
A chronological survey of the regiment's history from 1688 to amalgamation in 1964.
The Great War 1914–1918
Gallipoli, the Western Front, and the Leicestershire men who served and died.
1939–1945: The Second World War
North Africa, Italy, and north-west Europe.
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.