The Keep Military Museum in Dorchester will be hosting a special evening on Monday 13th May 2024 to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the Battle of Kohima. The evening will begin with a drinks reception at The Keep in Dorchester, where guests will be free to explore the museum collection. Guests will also have the opportunity to view some of the weapons and equipment used by troops during the Burma Campaign and Battle of Kohima in 1944. The evening will culminate with a special talk on the 2nd Battalion Dorsetshire Regiment at Kohima, hosted by author and military historian Christopher ..read more

From The Saddle to the Sky – Dorset’s connection to Christmas Truce of 1914 A Young Historians Post. The Story On the 24th of December 1914 the soldiers across the western front hunkered down in their trenches, wondered if tomorrow they would have to pick up arms again and continue the fight. There was a belief that the war would have been all over by Christmas, but the sun was setting and there did not seem to be an end in sight. But then the singing started. From across no-man’s land rounds of festive cheer sprang up, Germans singing renditions of carols and patriotic songs, those fighting i ..read more

“Boycott”- A verb and noun in the English language used to describe ‘to refuse to deal with or engage’. Many of us have heard of (and maybe participated in) boycotts- but where does the term come from, and how is it connected to The Keep Military Museum? Charles Cunningham Boycott was an English Land Agent, whose ostracism by his local community and the Irish National Land League in Ireland gave birth to the English language the term ‘boycott’. Charles Boycott was born on 12th March 1832 and joined the 39th of Foot (1st Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment) in 1850, when his family purchased ..read more

The Keep Military Museum in Dorchester will be hosting a special evening dinner on Saturday 5th August 2023 to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the Allied invasion of Sicily. The two-part talk on Operation Husky focuses on the experiences of the men of 231 (Malta) Brigade, from The Devonshire Regiment, The Hampshire Regiment and The Dorsetshire Regiment. Guests will also have the opportunity to view some of the weapons and equipment used by troops during the Sicily invasion in 1943. All proceeds from the evening will go to support The Keep Military Museum, a registered charity devoted to t ..read more

Come along to the Museum this June, with information below about the events here at The Keep this month! Let’s Build the Barracks- Half Term at The Keep Military Museum! Come along this half term and help our Victorian soldiers build the brand new barracks! Travel back to 1879 and help Captain Jobberns build a brand new home for the Dorsetshire Regiment. This new children’s trail will guide you around our Grade II listed building, once the Depot of Dorchester’s military barracks, and get you building a brand new home for the Dorsets. Learn about the Victorian Military, and the Victorian archi ..read more

All of the winners from our drawing competition, the Easter Keep-sakes Trail, have now been contacted, and we’re pleased to share the winning drawings below! Each drawing is of an object on display in the Museum galleries, and was chosen by our judging panel in three age groups. Well done to all of our winners, and a big thank you to all the fantastic artists that came and visited us over Easter! For more information about what’s on at The Keep, click here! The post Easter Keep-sakes Art Competition Winners! appeared first on The Keep Military Museum ..read more

Come along this half term and help our Victorian soldiers build the brand new barracks! Travel back to 1879 and help Captain Jobberns build a brand new home for the Dorsetshire Regiment. This new children’s trail will guide you around our Grade II listed building, once the Depot of Dorchester’s military barracks, and get you building a brand new home for the Dorsets. Learn about the Victorian Military, and the Victorian architecture across Dorchester. Don’t miss a chance to see the town from above from our roof top terrace, giving you the only view across the Victorian town from above! Our Let ..read more

Keeping It Real Episode 4: Mick Jarrett Welcome back to Keeping It Real: The Podcast, a project by The Keep Military Museum Young Historians! This week’s episode features Mick Jarrett, who spent his career with the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment, and volunteers here at The Keep. Listen below to Mick talking about his career with the Devon and Dorsets, travelling across the world to Guyana, Kenya, Malta, and touring Northern Ireland twice. This podcast project was entirely led by teenagers, who are members of The Keep Military Museum Young Historians. The group led each step of the proces ..read more

Come along to the Museum this May, with information below about the events we’re running this month! Please note that the Museum will be closed on Saturday 6th of May for His Majesty King Charles III coronation. We will be open as usual on Sunday 7th of May, and for each of the bank holiday Mondays in May- the 1st, 8th, and 29th of May. Dorchester Walking Festival: A Military Town- 21st of May Dorchester has a long history as a military town. The Depot Barracks, home to the County Regiment and the adjacent Royal Artillery Barracks were located on the western side of the town, just a few hundr ..read more

Keeping It Real Episode 3: Jean Lawson Welcome back to Keeping It Real: The Podcast, a project by The Keep Military Museum Young Historians! This week’s episode features Jean Lawson, a research volunteer at the Museum who has been working with the Dorset Yeomanry archive. Jean talks about her research, her love of history, and growing up in the Second World War in Dorset. Listen to Jean below talk about meeting American GIs in East Coker, hosting evacuees, and the wartime dances in Dorchester! This podcast project was entirely led by teenagers, who are members of The Keep Military Museum ..read more