About
The Berkshire Yeomanry Museum at Windsor occupies a prominent place within the tradition of county yeomanry regiments, preserving the history of one of England's most distinguished volunteer cavalry and armoured units from its formation in 1794 through to its present-day successor regiment. Housed in the Territorial Army Centre on Oxford Road in Windsor, the museum documents the regiment's transformation from mounted gentlemen-volunteers raised during the Napoleonic emergency to armoured car and tank regiment of the twentieth century and the modern signals and reconnaissance role of its successor units.
The yeomanry were the cavalry equivalent of the infantry volunteers, raised from the gentry and yeoman farmers of Berkshire to defend against invasion and internal disorder. The Berkshire Yeomanry served in the Boer War, where it participated in the relief of Mafeking and operations across the Cape Colony, and both World Wars — most notably in the Palestine campaign of the First World War under General Allenby's Egyptian Expeditionary Force, where the regiment fought as part of the Desert Mounted Corps at decisive engagements including Beersheba and the pursuit through Syria. In the Second World War, the regiment converted to armour and served in North Africa and Italy.
The museum collections include uniforms, saddlery, weapons, medals, photographs, and regimental silver spanning two centuries of service. Particular strengths lie in the First World War Palestine campaign material, which is among the finest yeomanry collections in southern England, and the unique ceremonial and social traditions of the county yeomanry — the fox-hunting culture, the race meetings, the mess silver — that distinguished these volunteer gentlemen from the regular army and reflected the aristocratic social world from which they were drawn.
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Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
💡 Visitor Tips
- Always phone ahead before visiting — the museum is within an active Territorial Army Centre and access may not be possible on days when training is taking place.
- The Palestine campaign collection is genuinely exceptional for a county regimental museum — if you have an interest in the First World War Middle Eastern theatre or the Desert Mounted Corps, this is a must-visit.
- Windsor offers outstanding military heritage beyond the yeomanry museum: Windsor Castle, the Guards Regimental collection, and the Household Cavalry Museum in London are all within reach.
- Windsor & Eton Riverside station is a 10-minute walk, with direct trains to London Waterloo making this an easy half-day trip from the capital when combined with Windsor Castle.
- The museum is relatively small and best combined with a visit to Windsor Castle or the Windsor Great Park for a full day out.
- Regimental publications and historical accounts of the Palestine campaign are available from the museum shop — not easily found elsewhere.
- The museum is free but relies on donations to maintain its collections — a contribution is warmly appreciated.
Highlights
Palestine Campaign 1917–18 Collection
The Berkshire Yeomanry's finest hour came during General Allenby's Palestine campaign of 1917–18, where as part of the Desert Mounted Corps the regiment participated in the assault on Beersheba, the breakthrough at the Third Battle of Gaza, and the subsequent pursuit of Ottoman forces through Jerusalem and into Syria.
The museum holds an outstanding collection of campaign material from this period: service dress uniforms, leather equipment, campaign maps, personal diaries, photographs, and medals including Distinguished Conduct Medals and Military Medals won in the desert fighting.
This is one of the most comprehensive yeomanry Palestine collections in southern England.
Regimental Silver and Mess Tradition
County yeomanry regiments developed elaborate social traditions rooted in the gentry culture from which they were recruited, and the Berkshire Yeomanry's mess silver is among the most distinguished examples surviving in any English yeomanry collection. Presentation cups, figure pieces, and trophies span the full history of the regiment from the Napoleonic period, reflecting the sporting and social world of the Berkshire countryside — fox hunting, horse racing at Ascot, and the great county houses.
The silver is displayed in a dedicated case and forms a uniquely atmospheric record of the officer class and its military culture.
Boer War Service and Relief of Mafeking
The Berkshire Yeomanry was among the Imperial Yeomanry units raised to serve in South Africa during the Second Boer War (1899–1902), a conflict that proved a defining experience for British volunteer cavalry. Regiment members participated in operations including the much-celebrated relief of Mafeking.
Displays include Imperial Yeomanry uniforms, campaign medals, photographs of the regiment in South Africa, and contemporary newspaper accounts of the war.
The contrast between the mounted volunteer's experience in open veldt warfare and the fox-hunting origins of the regiment is a central theme of this section.
Conversion to Armour — Second World War
Like most yeomanry cavalry regiments, the Berkshire Yeomanry converted to mechanised armour between the wars, serving in the Second World War as part of the Royal Armoured Corps. The museum traces this transformation through photographs, vehicle recognition materials, crew personal equipment, and service records from the North Africa and Italian campaigns.
The contrast between the regiment's origins in Napoleonic-era cavalry and its modern incarnation as tank crewmen in the Western Desert underlines the profound technological transformation of warfare across the regiment's 150 years of service.
Collections
The Berkshire Yeomanry Museum holds approximately 2,000 objects representing the full history of the regiment from 1794 to the present. The collection is strongest in First World War Palestine campaign material, Victorian uniform and accoutrements, and regimental silver. Campaign medals span from the South Africa Medal of the Boer War through to Second World War campaign awards.
Photographic holdings include rare images from Palestine, South Africa, and the Western Front. Archival material includes service records, officers' letters, regimental order books, and mess accounts. The museum is a member of the Army Museums Ogilby Trust network and the collection has been assessed and documented to professional museum standards.
250 Years of the Berkshire Yeomanry
The main chronological exhibition tracing the regiment from its Napoleonic origins through the Boer War, both World Wars, and into the modern era.
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.