King's Own Royal Regiment Museum

See also New Acquisitions to the Museum's Collection. 

Collection of Captain Geoffrey Randall, 56th Anti-Tank Regiment RA TA, Second World War.  Added May 2013

Collection of Sergeant John Lacy Rowlandson, King's Own and 107th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps 1928-1946. Added May 2013.

Collection of items from Joe Hodgson.  Added May 2013

Information on the 55th West Lancashire Division.  Added February 2013

The diary of Lance Corporal Robert Higginson, 1st/5th King's Own, First World War.  Added February 2013

The entire collection of photographs of the 1st/5th Battalion, King's Own 1914-1916 in Major Fawcett's collection:

Soldiers in the Lancaster Police Charge book: Private David Hill, King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment, 1896 and Private Thomas Smith, King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment, 1898.

Photos from an album from Ripon Army Camp, First World War.  Added January 2013

The majority of the photographs in the collection of Sir Thomas Harley, who served with the 9th Battalion, King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment, during the First World War. Added January 2013.

Our new modern army display.  Added January 2013.

List of The Lion and The Rose in the museum's collection.  Added January 2013.

Postcards sent home by Sergeant John Miles Read, 1st/5th King's Own, in the First World War.  Added January 2013.

Images from "Reminiscences of the War, 2nd Battalion, The King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment, 1914-1918" by Lieutenant Colonel Bois, complied from his notes, illustrations & photographs in 1937 added:  Page One - France;  Page Two - Egypt & Salonika;  Page Three - Salonika.  Added January 2013.

Photographs from the Collection of Bandsman Thomas Hunt, Trieste, Italy & Austria, 1946-47.  Added December 2012

Over two hundred images from an album covering the 2nd Battalion in the First World War have been added.  Added December 2012

New section added to Photo Gallery: Depot, Peace and Medal Presentations, 1919.  Added December 2012

More details about the War Memorial Village, Westfield, Lancaster.  Added December 2012

Photographs relating to Colour Sergeant John Preston of the volunteers and 4th Battalion, King's Own, who served between 1897 and 1917.  Added December 2012.

Photographs and information about Private Harold Gordon Cooper, 1st/5th Battalion, King's Own, First World War and Post Office Home Guard, Second World War.  Added December 2012

Photographs from the album of Corporal William Alfred Morris, 1st/5th Battalion, King's Own, 1914 onwards.  Added November 2012.

Photographs of Private James Radcliffe Mawson, son of Thomas Mawson a landscape architect whose book 'An Imperial Obligation' spoke of 'homes for heroes' an idea from which Westfield War Memorial village grew.  Added November 2012.

Visit of Lord Roberts to Lancaster, July 1904.  Added November 2012.

National Service photographs added: Private Bill Roberts; Corporal George Greenwood; Private Donald Bowness; Corporal John Graves and others.  Added November 2012.

Photo Gallery of King's Own Royal Border Regiment, 1959-2006 started.   Added November 2012

More photographs have been added to various pages through out the website, bringing up to date new acquisitions etc.  Added November 2012

The Museum's Annual Report for 2011-2012 has just been published.  Added October 2012

Just 'published' in digital format on cd-rom we recommend The King's Own The Story of a Royal Regiment Volume 2 1814-1914 by Colonel Lionel I Cowper - the best history of the King's Own.  On a CD-rom, viewable through a computer.  Price including UK postage £12.75  Added October 2012

Letters and recollections of the Crimean War by Major James Paton.  Added September 2012

Useful Military Definitions and Abbreviations from 1918.  Added September 2012

Maps of the Abyssinian Campaign, 1868.  Added August 2012

The Mysterious Story of King Theodore's Drum of Gold.  Added August 2012

Following on from the donation of his medals, the museum has now received (from a car boot sale in Yorkshire!) a commemorative plate to Lance Corporal William Rossall, 1st/5th King's Own.  Added August 2012

Gallery of photographs of regimental graves and memorials.  Added August 2012

Railway tickets.  Added August 2012

Fortnum and Mason's Jubilee 2012 Tin.  Added August 2012

Full record of acquisitions from 1929 showing basic details of items acquired and details of donor etc.  Added August 2012.

The albums of Lieutenant Forbes-Taylor, 6th King's Own.  Added August 2012

Account of Spion Kop by Private Cosgrove.  Added July 2012.

Photographs of unknown soldiers of the Regiment.  Added July 2012.

Message in a bottle, August 1914.  Added July 2012

Some of the pages have been re-organised and new medals have been listed, including decorations and foreign awards.  Added Jun 2012

War Memorial Group at Westfield War Memorial Village.  Added Jun 2012.

Check out our Events in August and September.  Added Jun 2012

Photo Gallery: Royal Connections to the King's Own.  Added Jun 2012

Account by William Moss of the action on Leros, November 1943.  Added Jun 2012

Comparison of King's Own and Royal Flying Corps Uniform, First World War.  Added May 2012

'Abyssinia' silver piece.  Added Apr 2012

Boer War Biscuit.  Added Apr 2012

Gifts sent home by soldiers - Private Ernest Hodgson, from Hong Kong, 1955-56 Added Apr 2012

Photos of the visit of HRH Prince of Wales to Barrow in Furness, July 1927.  Added Apr 2012

War trophies at Lancaster Castle in the 1920s and 1930s.  Added Apr 2012

Puggarree Badges of the King's Own.  Added Apr 2012

Cap badges of the Regiment.  Added Apr 2012.

Details of the Rangoon War Memorial.  Added Mar 2012

Information on The Colours of the Regiment.  Added Mar 2012

Information on Soldiers of the Regiment:

The King's Own - The National Service Years 1945-1959 Special Exhibition.  Added Nov 2011

Storey of Lancaster's Roll of Honour.  Added Nov 2011

Photograph of the SS Saturnia.  Added Nov 2011

The Museum's Annual Report for the year 2010/11 has just been published.  Added Nov 2011

Over one hundred black and white illustrations of regimental uniform by Mrs LI Cowper represent the uniform of the King's Own, Militia and Volunteers between 1680 and 1910.  Added Oct 2011

Victoria Cross holders in the King's Own Royal Regiment.  Added May 2011

The museum has now re-opened (25th January 2011) following the planned temporary closure whilst ceiling repairs and redecoration took place.  Come along to our refreshed gallery!

    
Scaffolding still in place with the ceiling work now complete.

Refreshed modern displays back again.
    

Photographs of post-war Ypres and area, circa 1919.  Added Jan 2011

Listing of:

Coins, currency and money.  Added Jan 2011.

  A Soldier of the 4th Foot, 1842.  Added Dec 2010

  The Story of Douglas and Eva Blake.  Added Sep 2010

Boy Scouts on Imperial Service, an exhibition to mark the Centenary of the Lonsdale District Scouts.  Added May 2010.
Records relating to the 1st/5th Battalion, King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment during the First World War, from the collection of Captain Albert Hodgkinson, Quartermaster.  Added Feb 2010.
List of officers of the Regiment 1680-1959.  Added Jan 2010
Information on archive material relating to the 1st/4th King's Own in the First World War.  Added Jan 2010
Collections relating to Regimental Music and Instruments.  Added Jan 2010.
Information relating to soldier's documents held in the museum's collection, including Pay Books, Certificates of Education etc.  Added Jan 2010.
Repatriated Prisoners of War 1945
List of repatriated King’s Own Royal Regiment prisoners of war from the European theatre of war.  This including men captured in France and Belgium, North Africa and the Western Desert, Leros, Italy and Germany.  Added Dec 2009
Roll of Honour of Soldiers of the King's Own who died between the end of the First World War and 1939. Added Dec 2009.
See also Roll of Honour of those soldiers of the regiment who died between the end of the Second World War and 1959.  Added October 2008
Princess Mary's Gift to the troops.  Added Dec 2009.
How we have changed!  The 80 years of the King's Own Museum.  Added Nov 2009.
Images and information on various regimental certificates.  Added Nov 2009.
1st/5th Battalion First World War Souvenir Card or Souvenir Certificate.  Added October 2009
Photograph of LMS locomotive number 6161 'King's Own'.  Added October 2009
The museum's annual report has been published.  Added October 2009
Photographs from of St. Helena and Boer Prisoners of War 1900-1902.  Added Oct 2009
Photographs of the King's Own Royal Regiment and Border Regiment amalgamation parade, 31st October, 1959.  Added Sep 2009
Photographs of the Regiment (both Militia and Volunteer units) in Lancaster from the 1850s to 1902. Added Aug 2009.
Seven First World War Trench Maps are available as reproductions from the Museum Shop, or by post.  Added Aug 2009.
1919 Booklet on Westfield War Memorial Village
Detailed Proposed Plan of the War Memorial Village, circa 1919Added Aug 2009
These pages contain many graphic images and as such will take a little while to download.
Photographs of the War Memorial Village, Westfield, Lancaster.  Added Jul 2009
Century Old Biscuit added to collection.  Added Jul 2009
Information on troopship HMT Dongola. Added Jul 2009
Photographs of the regimental depot at Bowerham Barracks in the summer of 1939.  Added Apr 2009.
New photographs of the 107th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps.  Added Apr 2009
Love and War - Sweetheart items in the museum's collection.
Our special, on-line exhibition, to mark St. Valentine's Day!  Featuring 'sweetheart' items including pin cushions, badges and postcards!
Visit the on-line exhibition here! added February 2009
Details of Digital copies of books and documents in the museum's collection added January 2009
Information on the Loyal and Friendly Society of the Blew and Orange.  Added January 2009

  Find us on the social networking site 'Facebook' and become a fan!  Added December 2008

Photos of the 2nd Battalion in Jersey 1908-12. Added October 2008
List of infantry regiment titles in 1881.  Added October 2008
Roll of Honour of those soldiers of the regiment who died between the end of the Second World War and 1959.  Added October 2008
The Museum's Annual Report for 2007-08 has just been published.  October 2008.
Photographs of Bowerham Barracks during the Munich Crisis of September 1938 added.  October 2008.
Military and regimental use of cycles article added.  September 2008
Cycle photographs added. September 2008.
Private Edward Rathbone's collection of photographs added to World War Two photo gallery.  8th King's Own in Malta.  8th King's Own in Palestine and 1st King's Own in Italy. Added August 2008
Territorial Army Centenary 1908-2008.  Added June 2008
Work on the regimental uniform gallery started.  Added May 2008
Help us with this mystery miniature coffin from the First World War.
Added March 2008.
Portrait of Private Henry Watson, 4th Foot, circa 1830.  Added February 2008.
Photographs of the 1st Battalion, King's Own in Dublin 1919-1922 added to the Photo Gallery.  Added January 2008.
Portraits from the King's Own Collection - a special exhibition.  Added January 2008
Information on medals in the museum's collection.  Added December 2007.
Images of the 1760 uniform of Captain Thomas Plumbe of the Royal Lancashire Militia.  Added November 2007
The 2006-07 Annual Report of the Museum is published. Added October 2007
Photograph of HMT Euphrates and North Lancashire Bassett Hounds added.  Photographs of the 1st Battalion when in Osnabruck as part of the British Army of the Rhine, 1952-53. Added September 2007
Various pages throughout the website have been updated and/or revised with new information.  The photograph of the Zulu War has been added.  Added August 2007
Photographs of the Abyssinian Campaign of 1868 added to Photo Gallery.  Added July 2007
Photographs of the Crimean War by James Robertson added to Photo Gallery.  Added June 2007
Information added, including Troopship Empire Windrush, King's Own in Australia and British regiments in Australia.  Added June 2007
Between 1753 and 1756 the King's Own were stationed on the Mediterranean island of Minorca.  A pay document exists in the museum's collection with details the 'charge of the Garrison of Minorca' which also details the daily rates of pay for the officers and soldiers of the regiment.  Added June 2007.
Copies of the First World War Battalion War Diaries of the King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment are now available to purchase on CD-Rom from the Museum.  Added Apr 2007
World War Two photograph gallery has been completed with the inclusion of images relating to the 2nd Battalion, King's Own.  Added Feb 2007
Photographs of troopships added to the photo gallery.  Added Jan 2007
Information on the archive of Lt Col Alfred Dykes covering 1894 to 1914. Added Dec 2006
List of thirty medals 'missing' from the museum's collection. Added Nov 2006
Rare film recording the unveiling of Carnforth's War Memorial in November 1924 available from the museum on DVD!  Added Nov 2006
Information on Lancaster's Crimean War Memorial.  Added Nov 2006
The museum has just published, in two volumes, the British War and Allied Victory Medal Roll for the King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment.  23,000 names of the other ranks who were awarded the War and/or Victory Medal are listed, along with details of battalion and other units with whom a soldier may have served.  More details in Museum Shop. Added Oct 2006.
The 2005-06 Museum's Annual Report has just been published.  Added September 2006
Additional information added, including, Military Cross, Indian Mutiny Medal and Campaign Service Medal. Added August 2006
Provisional Colours for the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.  Added August 2006
Information on King's Own soldiers who were executed or Shot at Dawn in the First World War.  Added August 2006
Additional information added, including the King's Own in the war against the United States 1814-15, Battle of Bladensburg and Battle of Godley Wood.  World War Two information added, including information on the Auxiliary Territorial Service, Lancaster Home Guard and Morecambe Home Guard.  Added May 2006.
We are pleased to announce the publication of the reprint of The Fourth Battalion, The King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment) and The Great War by Lieutenant Colonel W F A Wadham and Captain J Crossley, first published in Ulverston in 1935.  The book is available from the museum for £7.00 including UK postage.  Visit our sales pages.  Added May 2006.
Additional information added, including words for regimental marches, regimental collects, and battle honours for volunteer and militia units.  Added March 2006.
Additional information added, including Private Croston's account of action at Spion Kop, 1900; an incident in the Peninsula war and the suicide of Lt Colonel Charles Bevan in 1811; 1st/5th King's Own and the Didcot connection in 1915.  Added March 2006
Photographs of Medals have been added to the Medal pages.  Added February 2006
Over 300 Photographs of the Regiment in the First World War have been added to the Photo Gallery.  Added January 2006
Images of the Regimental Museum. Added January 2006
The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment launch cap badge.  Added January 2006.
The Journal of Captain Mason of the 4th (or King's Own) Regiment of Foot, Recording his voyage to Australia, his service there and his return journey 1831 - 1835.  Added December 2005