Imperial War Museum, London, England

It was a fine autumn day in London and I decided to take myself down to the Imperial War Museum. At around this time of year in the UK you see a lot of people wearing poppies in remembrance and support of ex-servicemen and their communities, and hear some silly people debating whether we should or not. What do you think? I tend to visit the IWM at least a couple of times a year, they have several sites, and its a great place to go and remind yourself of the difficult times people lived through so that we could live as we do today. Say what you will about politics in this country but we’ve got it pretty good. Difficult times produce some horrific stories and of course some heroes.

IWM London is set to see some big changes over the next 10 years, including a whole new WW1 gallery to commemorate the 100 year anniversary. One thing that won’t change is the Holocaust exhibition. Pictures are not allowed, but it is something you have to experience. Theres lots of video footage giving you a sense of the power and polemic the Nazis wielded. It’s the personal accounts that get me, people who’ve survived but will never forget what they saw.
Just thinking about it now is making me emotional, I had to hold back the tears at the time. It’s so important people understand what happened and do everything in their power not to let anything like that happen again. How anyone in this country can support the BNP is beyond me. Think about what happened.
It was nice to come out of the Holocaust gallery and have a bench to take a seat and contemplate what I’d seen. Then to see people making poppies and filling the poppy field was heartwarming.

There are so many things to see at IWM London but I was really looking forward to the special exhibition, Cecil Beaton: Images of War. Photos were not allowed so see acknowledgments for these below. You can buy copies of his prints HERE (CHristmas is coming up if you want to get me something!

 

There are over 250 of his war time images on show and I wanted to share some of my favourites. This image was taken from theguardian.co.uk It is Cecil Beaton’s photograph of Eileen Dunne, aged three.

How good is this!! (Image taken from thetimes.co.uk) Some Members of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force repair the interior of a barrage balloon. To find such beauty in what could be considered everyday to the people living it. The light, the mood, the geometry, I love it.

This image taken from the Culture24 website. That intense stare does something to a young lady, and he can sew too.. bonus. The Cecil Beaton exhibition is there until January 1st 2013, I’d highly recommend it!

Entry Fee: Free, Special exhibitions prices vary

Location: Lambeth Road, London, SE1 6HZ