The museum follows the story of the British Army from the 18th century to the present, through Waterloo, the Boer War, the two World Wars, Korea and National Service. Eyewitness accounts from diaries, letters and recordings, along with artefacts, models and video, bring departed servicemen and women to life.
There are lots of interactive bits, including a First World War game where you try to get through an advance playing as officer, private or medic (clue: don't have the shell-shocked guy court-martialled, even if you think he deserves it) and a chance to experience the smell of a field hospital in the Crimea before Florence Nightingale arrived to sort them out. In the 'Conflicts of Interest' zone you can look in on life in and after the modern Army, learn about conflicts from the last twenty years and vote on whether or not Britain should have got involved.
Fans of Warhorses of Letters might be interested to know that you can see the skeleton of Napoleon's horse Marengo, minus two hooves. There's also the stuffed remains of an enormous, worried-looking cat named Crimean Tom, who was brought home from the siege of Sevastopol, and the skull of regimental mascot Plassey the Tiger.
The Commando exhibition itself is delightful: affectionate and tongue-in-cheek. Look out for the cover illustrating German soldiers on jetpacks.
