Organization

Imperial War Museum

Also Known As IWM

National and Cultural Institutions

The Imperial War Museum was founded on 5 March 1917, when the British War Cabinet approved a proposal by Sir Alfred Mond MP to create a national war museum while the First World War was still being fought, so that the experiences of every part of society, civilian and military, would be recorded rather than left to memory. It was renamed from the National War Museum to the Imperial War Museum later the same year, reflecting growing interest from the governments of the British Dominions, and was formally established by Act of Parliament in 1920, opening to the public at the Crystal Palace on 9 June 1920 with more than 150,000 items already collected. It has since grown into a network of five branches in England, and remains one of the principal institutional sources on the First and Second World Wars and later conflicts involving Britain and the Commonwealth.

Facts

Organization Type

National museum 2

Founded

1917 2

The War Cabinet approved the founding proposal on 5 March 1917 as the National War Museum; it was renamed the Imperial War Museum later the same year and only formally established by Act of Parliament in 1920.

Headquarters

London, England 2

Industry

War and conflict heritage museum 1

Organization Type

Organization Type (category)

Museum 1

Connections