Monty’s museum battles to survive Regimental collection faces funding crisis
ber of people who come may decline. It’s Catch 22.”
Captain Rice does not solely blame the MoD for his museum’s ills.
“Matters military are fading from the public conscience, if I’m honest,” he added. “But our ‘take’ is that we’re part of the history of Warwickshire and the West Midlands.”
There is no doubt that the museum’s demise would be a huge historical loss to the area. It houses more than 10,000 items including regimental colours and four of the six Victoria Crosses won by Warwickshire soldiers in the First World War.
The building tells the story of one of this country’s most famous military forces – a regiment that gave the nation Field Marshall Montgomery.
Old soldiers included cartoonist Bruce Bairnsfather, author AA Milne and cricketer Percy Jeeves.
Volunteer David Sutcliffe, a former police officer, said: “Most of these items have been donated by ex-members of the regiment or their families in the expectation that they would be maintained for the permanent benefit of the public. This museum is the last link with one of the most famous Regiments in the British Army which recruited all over the Midlands, especially the cities of Birmingham and Coventry. Birmingham alone provided 3 ‘Pals’ Battalions in the First World War of the 31 provided in total by the regiment.”