Conflicts of Interest at The National Army Museum
Now open
From Northern Ireland and the Falklands to Afghanistan and Iraq, Conflicts of Interest explores over three decades of conflict, examining the role of the British Army across the globe and the impact on service personnel’s home life.
Visitors will also be invited to help shape the exhibition when it is updated in November.
This major new exhibition focuses on key international conflicts as well as debating domestic issues relating to the modern military. The exhibition includes personal accounts from servicemen and women and civilians, alongside exclusive images and objects from the Museum’s collections.
The exhibition sheds light on the intensity of the recent fighting in Afghanistan and the British Army’s long history in the region. Using contemporary and historic images, first-hand accounts and news footage of the war the reasons for the current deployment and its possible outcome are explored. Objects on display will include chemical warfare kit and a painting by war artist John Keane, highlighting the threats faced by forces during the Gulf War of 1990-1991, as well as a portrait of Saddam Hussein from Basra airport.
Conflicts of Interest explores the varying levels of British military engagement in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo during the 1990s - looking at the Army both as United Nations peace-keeping force, and when operating as part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Exclusive material relating to Sierra Leone will include interviews with senior British officers serving on the ground and previously unseen documents.
Northern Ireland will be the focus of Conflicting Communities, war close to home, where bomb disposal equipment will be displayed alongside images from thirty years of involvement in the disputed province. Questions of patriotism and domestic support for war are raised in relation to the Falklands Conflict.
The exhibition’s At Home area examines the most pressing issues facing the Army today including the changing attitudes towards gender, ethnicity and sexuality, including oral histories from Gurkhas, injured service personnel and women. The section will look at the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, the problems of crime and homelessness amongst veterans and the implications of the Military Covenant.
