About
The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire Museum tells the story of one of the most distinguished infantry regiments of the British Army — and through it the story of two even older Yorkshire regiments, the West Yorkshire Regiment and the East Yorkshire Regiment, whose amalgamation in 1958 created the PWO. Located in the historic Tower Street area of York close to Clifford's Tower and the York Museum Trust complex, the museum holds collections covering more than three centuries of Yorkshire's military service from the late seventeenth century through to the regiment's eventual incorporation into the Yorkshire Regiment in 2006.
The two predecessor regiments both date from the seventeenth century. The 14th Regiment of Foot (later the West Yorkshire Regiment, the Prince of Wales's Own) was raised in 1685 in response to the Monmouth Rebellion. The 15th Regiment of Foot (later the East Yorkshire Regiment, the Duke of York's Own) was raised the same year. Both regiments served in every major British war from the eighteenth century onwards: the War of the Spanish Succession under Marlborough, the Seven Years War in North America and India, the Peninsular War against Napoleon, the Crimean War, the Indian Mutiny, the Boer War, and both World Wars. Battle honours include Marston Moor, Blenheim, Quebec, Salamanca, Waterloo, Sevastopol, the Somme, Ypres, El Alamein, and Burma.
The regiments were particularly associated with the city and county of York, with their depots traditionally located in the city. Recruits came overwhelmingly from Yorkshire mining and industrial communities, and the regiments developed a distinctive Yorkshire character that survived both World Wars and the post-war reorganisations. The amalgamation of 1958 brought the two old regiments together as the Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire — a single battalion regiment that served in Northern Ireland, the Falklands campaign of 1982, and the first Gulf War of 1991 before its further amalgamation in 2006 into the modern Yorkshire Regiment.
The museum holds collections of uniforms, weapons, medals, regimental colours, paintings, photographs, and personal items spanning more than three centuries of service. Particular strengths include the extensive medal collection (with several Victoria Crosses), regimental colours from various battalions, material on the regiments' service in major campaigns, and the personal stories of individual officers and other ranks. The museum is run by the Yorkshire Regimental Trust and admission is free.
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Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
💡 Visitor Tips
- York is a major heritage destination — allow at least a full day if you want to combine the PWO Museum with York Minster, the Jorvik Viking Centre, and Castle Museum.
- Clifford's Tower (English Heritage) is steps from the museum and provides spectacular views over York from its medieval keep.
- Castle Museum (York Museums Trust), also steps away, holds the celebrated Kirkgate Victorian street and is one of England's great social history collections.
- Visitors with personal family military connections to the West Yorkshire or East Yorkshire Regiments are particularly welcomed — staff (often retired regimental members) can often help with family research enquiries.
- York is a Park-and-Ride city — driving into the centre is discouraged and parking is expensive.
- The Yorkshire Air Museum at Elvington and the Eden Camp Modern History Theme Museum are within easy driving distance for an extended military history visit to North Yorkshire.
- The museum is free but donations support the Yorkshire Regiment Trust's preservation work.
- York railway station is on the East Coast Main Line with frequent fast trains to London (under two hours).
Highlights
Three Centuries of Service: 1685 to 2006
The museum's central narrative is the three-and-a-quarter centuries of service of the predecessor regiments and the PWO itself, from the raising of the 14th and 15th Regiments of Foot in 1685 in response to the Monmouth Rebellion to the absorption of the PWO into the Yorkshire Regiment in 2006.
The chronological displays trace the regiments through every major British military engagement of the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries, with uniforms, weapons, equipment, and personal items illustrating each period. The display emphasises both the institutional continuity of regimental life and the changing nature of warfare over three centuries.
Battle Honours
The regiments' combined battle honours cover an extraordinary range of British military history. The 14th's honours include Namur, Blenheim, Ramillies, Oudenarde, Malplaquet, Quebec, Corunna, Salamanca, Vittoria, Pyrenees, Nive, Orthes, Waterloo, Punjaub, Sevastopol, Lucknow, New Zealand, Tirah, the South African War, and battle honours from both World Wars.
The 15th's honours similarly span three centuries from Marlborough's campaigns to the Second World War.
The PWO's own honours include service in Northern Ireland, the Falklands, and the Gulf. Each honour is documented in the museum's displays with relevant material.
Victoria Cross Collection
The regiments produced several Victoria Cross holders across their long history, and the museum holds an important Victoria Cross collection alongside other gallantry medals — Distinguished Service Orders, Military Crosses, Distinguished Conduct Medals, Military Medals, and Mentions in Dispatches. Each VC is accompanied by detailed material on the individual recipient, the action that earned the award, and where possible the recipient's subsequent life.
The collection includes both First World War and Second World War VC actions.
The First World War
Both predecessor regiments raised many battalions during the First World War and served on the Western Front, in Mesopotamia, Palestine, Salonika, and other theatres. Battalion battle honours include the Somme, Ypres (multiple battles), Arras, Cambrai, the Hindenburg Line, and the final advance to victory in 1918.
The museum's First World War display includes uniforms, weapons, trench equipment, personal items, photographs, letters home, and the records of individual battalions.
Particularly poignant material includes items from soldiers killed in action and donated by their families.
Collections
The PWO Museum holds approximately 6,000 objects, documents, photographs, and medals relating to the West Yorkshire Regiment, the East Yorkshire Regiment, and the Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire from 1685 to 2006. The medal collection is particularly important, including several Victoria Crosses and many other gallantry awards.
Uniform collections span the eighteenth century to the present and include rare items from imperial campaigns.
Regimental colours from various battalions are exhibited and conserved. Weapons collections include muskets, rifles, swords, and bayonets from across the regiments' history. The documentary archive includes regimental records, battalion war diaries, letters, photographs, and personal papers.
Together the collections constitute a major resource for the military history of Yorkshire and the British Army.
The 14th and 15th of Foot 1685-1958
Display tracing the two predecessor regiments from their formation in 1685 to their amalgamation in 1958.
📍 Predecessor Regiments Gallery
Prince of Wales's Own 1958-2006
Display of the PWO from its formation to its absorption into the Yorkshire Regiment.
📍 PWO Gallery
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.