Explore the 9/11 story at IWM

Atrium 

Suspended from the ceiling in the atrium of IWM London, this aircraft flew combat missions over Afghanistan. On 7 May 2009 it was flown in support of UK and Afghan National Army troops under Taliban fire.  

Harriers, famous for being able to take off and land vertically, were retired from service in 2010. 

Atrium 

Remains of a car damaged in a suicide car bomb attack against the Mutanabbi Street book market in central Baghdad in Iraq, 5th March 2007. It was exported from Iraq and later acquired by British Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller. Deller toured the car across the United States as a means of starting conversations about Iraq and the US-led invasion. 

Level 2

Section of twisted and rusted steelwork from the collapsed World Trade Center in New York; the piece comprises of beams from the external walls of the building, and was originally located somewhere around one of the two impact zones. 

Level 2

Make Tea Not War poster, designed by British advertising agency Karmarama, for the Stop the War Coalition.  It was carried as a placard on marches against the British decision to support a US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Its play on words and parody of Tony Blair have made it one of the most recognisable of that period. 

Level 2

A tiled mural removed from a wall at the entrance to Umm Qsar port in Iraq  by 17 Port & Maritime Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps, commanded by Colonel Paul Ash. This mural was removed at the end of March 2003 after the US-led international coalition invaded Iraq. The mural was removed at the request of locals who were insistent that it and all other similar symbols of Saddam Hussein were either removed or destroyed. 

Level 2

Queen and Country is a work that commemorates the individual British service personnel who died during the Iraq War, but also questions ideas of sacrifice, community and nationhood. McQueen was commissioned by IWM in 2003 and visited Iraq shortly afterwards to research ideas for a work. Best known as a filmmaker, McQueen was frustrated by the limited opportunities to film in Basra and sought alternative means to respond to the conflict. He hoped that eventually the portraits, selected by the families of the deceased, would be issued as stamps and, as he states, 'enter the lifeblood of the country'.

Level 2

This motorbike was captured from the Taliban in Afghanistan on 4th May 2011. Members of 1st Battalion, The Rifles encountered two insurgents riding the motorbike on a track in Nahr-e Saraj (South). As the insurgents tried to get away from the soldiers, they lost control of the bike, dropping it and disappearing into the nearest village. 

Motorbikes like this one were frequently used by Taliban scouts who observed and reported on the movements of ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) troops. Motorbikes gave them freedom of movement in the Afghan countryside and helped them to blend in with the local population. 

Level 2

During June 2006, this vehicle served with 38 Squadron, 26 Engineer Regiment in Basra during the Iraq War. The vehicle's design has been the subject of severe criticism as a consequence of a number of IED attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan, gaining the nickname of the “mobile coffin”. The Snatch was adapted for the weather and terrain of Iraq but was not suitably armoured to protect against IEDs. It was replaced in 2020 with the Foxhound vehicle which provided better blast protection. 

Hangar 4 

Tornado GR4 has a known service history with 12 Squadron of the Royal Air Force who provided Close Air Support to ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) troops on the ground in Afghanistan between June and October 2009 during Operation Herrick 10. The GR4 is one of the most significant military aircraft of the post-2001 period, flying on numerous missions over Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya.

AirSpace 

Husky vehicle driven in Afghanistan between April 2010 and October 2012. The vehicle was designed to provide better protection against IED’s (Improvised Explosive Devices) and was involved in 3 separate IED incidents. Today it still shows the frontend damage from its last operational tour in 2012. Despite the vehicle receiving damage 3 times, no casualties were sustained in any of the incidents which is a testament to the vehicle’s design. 

Air and Sea 

This ambulance was used during the Iraq War to transport wounded personnel between the Medical Centre at the airbase in Basra and a transport aircraft.  During a rocket attack on the Medical Centre in 2007, the ambulance  sustained shrapnel damage after a rocket attack. No personnel were seriously injured but the vehicle is a reminder of the highly dangerous situations medical staff work in.

Air and Sea 

Vikings were designed for the Royal Marines and first used in 2005. As an amphibious armoured vehicle, it provides transport on land or water and can operate in jungle, arctic or desert conditions.

This vehicle was used in Afghanistan between 2008 and 2010, serving with various units, including the Royal Tank Regiment and the Queen’s Dragoon Guards. Although protected from small arms fire and legacy mines, Vikings were vulnerable to IEDs.

American Air Museum 

A large piece of twisted and rusted steelwork from the collapsed World Trade Center in New York, comprising of beams from the external walls of the building , and was originally located somewhere around one of the two impact zones. 

American Air Museum 

Bronze bust of Saddam Hussein damaged after the US-led international coalition removed Saddam from power in Iraq. After his removal, many images of Saddam were destroyed or removed by local people including this bronze statue that was recovered from Iraq.  

American Air Museum 

Flags carried within a variety of selected F-15E fighter aircraft on active service in Afghanistan in 2009. By carrying the flags of Great Britain and the United States, 492nd Fighter Squadron, normally based at RAF Lakenheath fostered a symbolic gesture of co-operation.  

492nd Fighter Squadron flew a series of missions throughout Afghanistan providing fire support for troops on the ground and Special Forces.

American Air Museum 

ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) elephant toys were distributed to children in northern Afghanistan as part of the NATO 'hearts and minds' operations. The toys could not be given away in the south of Afghanistan as the Taliban would execute  those discovered in possession of an ISAF toy as ‘collaborators’ to the international forces

Section of twisted and rusted steelwork from the collapsed World Trade Center in New York. The piece comprises of beams from the external walls of the building, and was originally located somewhere around one of the two impact zones. 

Board game inspired by George Bush's 'War on Terror'. This satirical game from 2005 drew criticism from members of Parliament and an example was seized by Kent Police. It was praised by Amnesty International as 'genius satire' and a copy was kept in Roy and Moss's office in popular British sitcom The IT Crowd.

Fedayeen helmet that belonged to a member of the Fedayeen Saddam, a paramilitary unit of volunteers fanatically loyal to Saddam Hussein. It was founded in 1995 by Saddam's son Uday, an avid fan of the Star Wars films. The Fedayeen offered fierce resistance to the US-led invasion in 2003 and later fuelled a violent insurgency. They had previously been responsible for some of the most brutal acts of Saddam's regime. 

Intimate portrait of the sons of Indian-born, London-based artist Shanti Panchal. The boys, both Royal Marines, had completed tours of Afghanistan. Panchal's watercolours combine Indian and Western styles, capturing the complexities of a life lived between two cultures. This is echoed in the elder son's regimental tattoo, contrasting with the distinctive rendering of the boys' brows - a visual nod to Hinduism.

This badge was produced by the Stop the War Coalition in response to the planned invasion of Iraq in 2003. After 9/11, the George Bush administration claimed that Iraq’s ruler, Saddam Hussein, was developing weapons of mass destruction (WMD) that threatened the peace of the world. Across the world, anti-war groups organised a series of protests to take place on 15 February 2003. In London, it would be the largest anti-war demonstration in British history. 

CamelBak owned by Guardsman Terry Brazier. In 2010 Terry was patrolling a compound known to be an insurgent hangout when he came under attack. When he later tried to take a drink he found three bullet holes had emptied his CamelBak. Operations in Helmand were intense and British soldiers were often drawn into heavy firefights with the Taliban. 

Headset for MQ-9 Reaper drone used by a Royal Air Force pilot to remotely fly missions against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Airstrikes by Reaper, Typhoon and Tornado aircraft have formed the majority of the British campaign against ISIS, codenamed Operation Shader. 

Personal mine marker kit issued to and carried by British forces when operating in areas likely to be subject to IED’s (Improvised Explosive Devices) or hidden mines. British soldiers faced the threat of minefields from previous conflicts in Afghanistan. The Taliban also resorted to using IEDs, becoming skilled at targeting individual soldiers on patrol.