IWM collects objects and stories that give an insight into people’s experiences of war. We work with local, national and international organisations and academic institutions, using our collections to help people understand why we go to war and the effect that conflict has on people’s lives. 

War Memorials Register

Richmond War Memorial
Q 48871

The IWM is compiling the War Memorials Register - the comprehensive national register of UK war memorials and the names of the individuals they commemorate.

Permanent Display

American Air Museum

Inside the American Air Museum
©IWM
Permanent
IWM Duxford

From privates to presidents, we hear directly from those men and women whose lives have shaped or been shaped by their experiences of war, from the First World War to the present day.

Partnership page

First World War Centenary

Poppies at IWM North

November 2018 saw the culmination of almost ten years of activity to commemorate the centenary of the First World War. Across this decade, IWM brought together thousands of organisations and millions of people across the world to remember the lives of those who fought and died in the conflict.

Partnership page

Second World War and Holocaust Partnership Programme

L. S. Lowry Painting: Factory workers going to work at the Mather & Platt, Manchester, in the white industrial haze.
© IWM Art.IWM ART LD 3074
Going to Work by L.S. Lowry

IWM’s Second World War and Holocaust Partnership Programme (SWWHPP) will support eight cultural heritage partners across the UK to engage with new audiences and share hidden or lesser-known, local stories related to these histories. Over the next three years, the SWWHPP will work with partner organisations and facilitate loans of IWM’s collection across the UK to support digital and community-based events.

Contemporary Conflict Collection

A soldier in uniform walks away from the camera at Camp Bastion, the principal British base in Helmand Province, Afghanistan
© IWM (DC 2556)
A soldier in uniform walks away from the camera at Camp Bastion, the principal British base in Helmand Province, Afghanistan

Find out more about how IWM's Contemporary Conflict team develops our collections relating to the causes, course and consequences of conflicts since 2001.

War and Conflict Subject Specialist Network

Networking event at IWM London, 2018
©IWM

IWM has created a War and Conflict Subject Specialist Network (SSN), to build capacity, connections and confidence in the cultural heritage sector.

Partnerships

Poppies: Weeping Window, IWM London © Getty Images Stuart Wilson
© Getty Images Stuart Wilson

IWM works in partnership with local, national and international organisations to deliver our shared strategic aims more effectively, and with greater impact. Through mutual partnerships we support the work of the wider cultural sector, reach new audiences, and develop our collections, ensuring they are shared with the world.