About
The Queens Royal Lancers Regimental Museum, housed within the historic Thoresby Park estate in the heart of the Nottinghamshire countryside, preserves the proud and distinguished history of one of the British Army's most celebrated cavalry regiments. The Queen's Royal Lancers trace their lineage through a complex history of mergers and amalgamations that connects them directly to regiments that fought in some of the most storied actions of British military history — including the famous Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaklava in 1854.
The regiment's direct ancestor units include the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers and the 12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's), both of which can trace their histories to the early eighteenth century. The 9th Lancers were present at the Charge of the Light Brigade on 25 October 1854, one of the most celebrated and controversial episodes in British military history, when 673 cavalrymen charged the full length of a valley defended by Russian artillery on both flanks and at its head. The regiment suffered severe casualties but the survivors rode on through the guns and back again, an act of extraordinary courage and discipline that entered the mythology of British military culture.
The museum's collections span three centuries of regimental history, from the founding of the ancestor regiments in the early 1700s through the colonial campaigns of the nineteenth century, the First and Second World Wars, the post-war conflicts in Malaya, Cyprus, and the Gulf, to the regiment's deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan in the twenty-first century. The breadth and depth of the collections reflect the regiment's long and active service history.
Uniform, medals, weapons, paintings, and personal artefacts are displayed with careful attention to the human stories behind them — the individual soldiers and officers whose courage, skill, and sacrifice are documented through their possessions and the records of their service. The Light Brigade collection is a particular strength, with items relating to the charge itself and to the soldiers who took part — connecting visitors directly to an event that has become emblematic of military courage under impossible circumstances.
Thoresby Park, the estate in which the museum is located, is itself a remarkable historic property in the Nottinghamshire countryside, offering a distinguished setting for a collection of this significance.
Categories:
Highlights
The Light Brigade Collection
The museum holds a significant collection of material relating to the Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaklava on 25 October 1854, one of the most celebrated actions in British military history.
The 9th Queen's Royal Lancers — a direct ancestor of the Queen's Royal Lancers — was one of the five regiments that took part in the charge, riding the full length of the valley under fire from three sides to reach the Russian guns at the far end. Items relating to the officers and men who took part include personal effects, swords, letters, and photographs that humanise an event whose mythic status can obscure the individual courage it required.
Three Centuries of Cavalry Uniforms
The museum's uniform collection spans three centuries of British cavalry dress, from the elaborate laced coats of the eighteenth century through the splendid hussar-style uniforms of the Victorian period — with their fur-trimmed pelisses and elaborate braiding — to the khaki service dress of the twentieth century and the modern working dress of the contemporary regiment.
The evolution of cavalry uniform reflects changes in tactics, technology, and military culture, and the visual impact of the collection — displayed in cases that allow close examination of the quality of the craftsmanship — gives an immediate sense of the pageantry and pride that have always been part of cavalry tradition.
Campaign Medals Collection
The regiment's medal collection is a comprehensive record of three centuries of active service on virtually every continent, from the eighteenth-century campaigns in North America and the Indian subcontinent through the Crimean War, the Indian Mutiny, the South African Wars, both World Wars, and the post-war conflicts in Malaya, Cyprus, the Falklands, the Gulf, and Afghanistan.
The medals — individually named to the soldiers who earned them — tell individual stories of courage, endurance, and professional skill that together constitute a remarkable collective history. The range of campaign medals, together with gallantry awards including Victoria Crosses, represents one of the most complete regimental medal collections in the East Midlands.
First World War Collections
The regiment served throughout the First World War, initially in the traditional cavalry role and later adapting to the radically different conditions of the Western Front. The museum's Great War collections document this transformation — from the early mobile warfare of 1914, when cavalry played a significant role, through the long years of trench warfare during which the regiment served dismounted, to the final Hundred Days offensive of 1918 when cavalry again came into their own as the German lines collapsed.
Personal diaries, photographs, equipment, and the regiment's war diary provide a detailed and human account of four years of service in the most destructive conflict in history.
Collections
Three Centuries of the Lancers
The main permanent display tracing the history of the Queen's Royal Lancers and their predecessor regiments from the early eighteenth century to the present day, with collections of uniforms, medals, weapons, art, and personal memorabilia covering major campaigns and actions.
Balaklava and the Light Brigade
A focused display on the regiment's role in the Charge of the Light Brigade in 1854, with original items relating to the men who took part and interpretation of the action and its significance in British military and cultural history.
Current Exhibitions
The museum occasionally mounts special displays in connection with regimental anniversaries and commemorative events. Contact the museum for details of any current or forthcoming special exhibitions.