Skip to content
Museums Worcestershire Logo Museums Worcestershire Logo
  • Home
  • Our Museums
    • The Commandery
      • Visit The Commandery
        • Accessibility and visitor facilities
        • Top 10 things to do when you visit
        • Worcester Resident Pass
      • The Commandery’s history
      • Membership
      • Venue Hire
        • Weddings at The Commandery, Worcester
      • Escape Room – Commandery Quest
    • Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum
      • Visit Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum
      • Improvements to the Art Gallery and Museum 2024 to 2027
        • Look around the Art Gallery and Museum
      • Top things to do at the Art Gallery and Museum
      • Membership
      • Venue Hire
    • Worcestershire County Museum at Hartlebury Castle
      • Visit Worcestershire County Museum
      • Accessibility and visitor facilities at Worcestershire County Museum
      • Group Visits
      • Hartlebury Castle Highlights
        • Lavish Living: Worcestershire in the 1950s exhibition
        • Captivating Costume: Three Centuries of Fashion exhibition
        • Museum History
      • One-day Course – Blacksmithing
      • Venue Hire
    • Collections Centre Tours
  • What’s On
    • Bite-size Talks
    • May half-term holiday
    • Summer holidays
  • Collections
    • About our Collections
    • Collections Centre Tours
    • Online Exhibitions
    • Curator Blog
  • Venue Hire
    • Weddings at The Commandery, Worcester
    • Hire The Commandery
    • Hire Hartlebury Castle
    • Hire Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum
  • Learning
    • School Visits
    • Outreach Sessions
    • Loans Boxes
    • SEND Learners
    • Home Educators
    • Work Experience
  • Support Us
    • Worcestershire Heritage, Art & Museums Charity
      • Save the Worcestershire Conquest Hoard
    • Volunteer
      • Volunteer Roles
      • Volunteer Benefits
    • Support Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum
    • Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum Membership
    • Support The Commandery
    • The Commandery Membership
    • Partners & Supporters
  • News
The Worcestershire SoldierAndy Burton2025-02-04T10:20:09+00:00
  • The Worcestershire Soldier

  • The Worcestershire Soldier

The collections of the Mercian Regiment Museum Worcestershire are currently housed in display galleries at the Art Gallery and Museum, called “The Worcestershire Soldier”, with the help of a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The Worcestershire Soldier exhibition tells the story of the men of our county Regiments from 1694 to the present. These soldiers lived and sometimes died in the defence of the country and its interests overseas. Using archive film, memories and the unique collections of The Mercian Regiment Museum (Worcestershire) and Worcestershire Yeomanry, this display brings over 300 years of military history to life.

  • Marvel at the achievements of the men and their journeys overseas.
  • Try on uniforms and discover how heavy soldiers’ equipment was to carry.
  • Listen to soldiers’ tales of battle and bravery.
  • Discover the regimental traces that can be seen around Worcester City today
  • Begin your research into the history of families linked with the regiments.
  • Find out about the wives and children left to guard the Worcester Home Front during World War 2.

Drawing on these collections, and objects from the Worcestershire Yeomanry Cavalry and the Worcester City collections, the displays tell the story of the people of Worcestershire and their role in the defence of Britain for over 300 years.

The Regiment’s collections are presented using archive, photographic and oral history records to illustrate the lives of individual soldiers and their families.

The Museum of the Worcestershire Yeomanry is housed within the City Art Gallery and Museum. The collections are the property of the Worcestershire Yeomanry Museum Trust, which maintains close links with the successor regiment, the Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry, but are managed by Worcester City Museums. Objects in the collections tell the story of the regiment over the last 300 years.

Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum

Uniforms

From its foundation in 1794 the Yeomanry had distinctive items of uniform. Examples of 19th century headgear include a Tarleton helmet, busbies, shakoes, which make colourful displays together with coatees, tunics and their epaulettes and braiding. Uniforms from the Boer War and the First World War can be seen alongside a Tank Overall worn in France in the Second World War.

Arms

19th century swords and pistols include the fine pair of duelling pistols given to the Adjutant, Captain Emmot by the Earl of Plymouth in 1832. There are also more recent firearms, as well as spurs, saddlecloths and sabretaches reflecting the cavalry aspect of this regiment.

Guidons

These eleven beautifully embroidered pieces, including the King’s Guidon presented in 1831, have recently been conserved.

Emblems and Medals

These include examples of the sprig of pear blossom in silk which was presented to the troops on their departure to the Boer War by the Countess of Dudley, and of the silver medallions known as Worcestershire Jewels presented on their return.

Paintings

Watercolours by Richard Dighton showing caricatures of the Officers between 1832 and 1834 contrast with those painted by Lord Hampton whilst serving in Palestine in the First World War.

Photographs

A wide range of official and personal photographs from the Boer War to recent times include poignant images of the charge at Huj in 1917 in Palestine.

Personalia

A wide range of material including letters, diaries and souvenirs. The ploughshares created from a Turkish and an English sword used at Huj by an Officer who became a clergyman are evocative. Maps and cooking equipment illustrate life in the Second World War.

If you would like to see the Regimental Gallery, it can be found in Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum.

Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum logoPlan your visit to the City Art Gallery here.

Plan Your Visit

The Commandery

Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum

Worcestershire County Museum | Hartlebury Castle

Escape Room | Commandery Quest

Find us on social

Recent news

  • Celebrate Oak Apple Day as history comes to life at The Commandery, Worcester. Bank Holiday Monday 26 May
  • Your Worcester – New exhibition opens celebrating the story of Worcester through the words – and objects – of its people!
Arts Council logo
Museums Worcestershire logo.
© Museums Worcestershire  | Accessibility | Cookies | Privacy | Terms and Conditions
Page load link
Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
Go to Top