Places to Visit
Museums, memorials, cemeteries and battlefields connected with the Victoria Cross — the kind of places Alf spent his weekends. Each has a Google Maps link.
Important change: the Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the Imperial War Museum, London, closed in September 2025. The collection — nearly 250 VCs, the largest in the world — is moving on long-term loan to the National Army Museum, Chelsea, with displays from July 2026.
Looking for one person's grave? Every recipient page has a map search for the memorial Alf recorded, and the Victoria Cross Trust keeps a database of restored graves.
National Army Museum (future home of the Lord Ashcroft VC & GC Collection)
Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea, London SW3 4HT, United Kingdom
The Army's national museum. From March 2026 the world's largest VC collection (Lord Ashcroft's nearly 250 VCs plus GCs) is on long-term loan here; pop-up displays from July 2026, full gallery expected by 2028. Also holds its own VCs (e.g. John Malcolmson VC, donated 2018).
Tip: Free entry; check the NAM website for which Ashcroft medals are currently on display before travelling.
Imperial War Museum London (former Lord Ashcroft Gallery)
Lambeth Road, London SE1 6HZ, United Kingdom
The Lord Ashcroft Gallery (Extraordinary Heroes) displayed c.200+ Ashcroft VCs alongside IWM's own 48 VCs and 31 GCs from 2010 until it closed in September 2025. IWM intends to show its own VCs and GCs within its conflict galleries across its branches as new post-1945 galleries open.
Tip: The dedicated VC gallery has closed; ask at the information desk which VCs are currently on show in the main galleries.
National Memorial Arboretum
Croxall Road, Alrewas, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire DE13 7AR, United Kingdom
The UK's national site of remembrance. VC-related features include the memorial of 145 commemorative paving stones to overseas-born First World War VC recipients from 19 countries (unveiled 5 March 2015), the Boys' Brigade garden with its VC & GC stone, and the Armed Forces Memorial listing post-1945 dead including Bryan Budd VC and James Ashworth VC.
Tip: Free entry (parking charge); allow at least half a day and pick up the site map to find the VC stones near the Armed Forces Memorial.
Westminster Abbey - VC & GC Memorial
20 Deans Yard, Westminster, London SW1P 3PA, United Kingdom
Floor memorial to all VC and GC holders by the Great West Door, dedicated 14 May 2003 in the presence of the Queen; venue of the 2006 150th-anniversary service.
Tip: The memorial stone is in the nave floor near the west door; entry to the Abbey is ticketed except for services.
Hyde Park - site of the first VC investiture
Hyde Park, London W2 2UH, United Kingdom
On 26 June 1857 Queen Victoria, on horseback, presented the first 62 Victoria Crosses to Crimean War veterans here before a crowd of thousands. No permanent marker identifies the exact spot.
Tip: There is no plaque; the parade ground was in the open area north of the Serpentine - combine with the nearby Guards Museum.
The Guards Museum
Wellington Barracks, Birdcage Walk, London SW1E 6HQ, United Kingdom
Museum of the five Foot Guards regiments, with medal displays; the Grenadier Guards RHQ in the same barracks held James Ashworth's VC from 2013 until its 2018 sale to Lord Ashcroft.
Tip: Time a visit for Changing the Guard at nearby Buckingham Palace; the museum is small, so an hour is enough.
Fusilier Museum, Tower of London
HM Tower of London, London EC3N 4AB, United Kingdom
Royal Regiment of Fusiliers museum inside the Tower holding 12 Victoria Crosses won by the Royal Fusiliers.
Tip: Entry is included in the Tower of London ticket; the museum is in the Waterloo Block area and often quieter than the Crown Jewels queue.
RAF Museum London
Grahame Park Way, Colindale, London NW9 5LL, United Kingdom
National museum of the RAF at the historic Hendon aerodrome. Holds RAF VCs including Arthur Scarf's VC (Malaya 1941), saved for the nation in 2022-23 after a public appeal.
Tip: Free entry; the VCs are in the medal displays - ask staff for the Scarf VC location.
Royal Marines Experience (National Museum of the Royal Navy)
Boathouse 6, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, Portsmouth PO1 3LJ, United Kingdom
Replacement for the old Royal Marines Museum at Eastney (closed 2017). Opens 24 October 2026 in Boathouse 6 and will display 10 Victoria Crosses awarded to Royal Marines from the Crimea to WW2.
Tip: Brand new - opens the day after this research was compiled; a Historic Dockyard ticket covers it alongside HMS Victory and the Mary Rose.
Royal Naval Club & Royal Albert Yacht Club VC plaque
17 Pembroke Road, Portsmouth PO1 2NT, United Kingdom
Plaque to the 19 club members awarded the VC (from Charles Lucas, the first VC action, to Robert Sherbrooke), unveiled by the Duke of Edinburgh 23 February 2007.
Tip: Private members' club - ask politely at reception; the plaque is in the corridor off the entrance hall.
Winchester Cathedral
The Close, Winchester SO23 9LS, United Kingdom
Contains the memorial to General Sir Redvers Buller VC (north transept) and regimental chapels/books of remembrance for the Rifle Brigade, KRRC and Royal Hampshire Regiment, whose VC holders are commemorated.
Tip: Combine with the Gurkha Museum and the Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum, both ten minutes' walk away at Peninsula Barracks.
The Gurkha Museum
Peninsula Barracks, Romsey Road, Winchester SO23 8TS, United Kingdom
Tells the story of the Brigade of Gurkhas and its 26 VC holders (13 Gurkha soldiers and 13 British officers); holds VCs and the Rambahadur Limbu VC story.
Tip: Also at Peninsula Barracks are the Rifles, Royal Hampshire and King's Royal Hussars museums - one site, several VC collections.
Royal Engineers Museum, Library & Archive
Prince Arthur Road, Gillingham, Kent ME4 4UG, United Kingdom
Holds 25 Victoria Crosses - one of the largest single collections - in a permanent 'Valour' display opened 12 November 2010.
Tip: Closed Mondays; the VC gallery is near the Medal Room - allow two hours for the whole museum.
Green Howards Museum
Trinity Church Square, Richmond, North Yorkshire DL10 4QN, United Kingdom
Regimental museum holding 16 Victoria Crosses, including Stanley Hollis's D-Day VC.
Tip: Housed in the old Trinity Church in the market square; the VC gallery is the highlight.
The Tank Museum
Linsay Road, Bovington, Dorset BH20 6JG, United Kingdom
Displays the four Tank Corps VCs of the First World War together (Sewell - owned; West, Wain and Robertson on loan) in a dedicated VC exhibition.
Tip: Annual ticket gives a year's re-entry; the VC display is in the WW1 'Tank Men' area.
Royal Artillery Museum (interim site)
Wood Road, Larkhill, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP4 8QT, United Kingdom
Successor to 'Firepower' at Woolwich (closed 2016). The Royal Artillery's VC collection (including Garth Walford VC, donated June 2026) is at an interim store at Larkhill, open on advertised public open days; a new purpose-built museum east of Larkhill Camp is planned within about five years.
Tip: Not a drop-in museum - book one of the advertised open-day tours. Woolwich itself (Royal Arsenal) still has RA memorials but no medal museum.
Airborne Assault - Museum of the Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces
IWM Duxford, Duxford, Cambridge CB22 4QR, United Kingdom
Holds Bryan Budd's VC and Joshua Leakey's VC (on loan) - both of the Parachute Regiment's post-1990 VCs - plus the regiment's WW2 VCs.
Tip: Included in the IWM Duxford ticket; the museum is in Hangar 1 area - allow time for the air show-scale site.
Brookwood Cemetery
Cemetery Pales, Brookwood, Woking, Surrey GU24 0BL, United Kingdom
Largest cemetery in the UK; 12 VC holders are buried here and three more commemorated on family graves (15 in all), many restored by the Victoria Cross Trust. Adjoins Brookwood Military Cemetery (CWGC).
Tip: Download the cemetery's VC trail before visiting - the site is huge and graves are spread across several plots.
Victoria Cross Trust
Frenchgate Shopping Centre, 22-28 Westmall, Doncaster DN1 1ST, United Kingdom
Charity (founded 2012) that locates, restores and maintains VC graves not covered by the CWGC, arranges memorials for uncommemorated recipients, and publishes an online VC grave database.
Tip: An office rather than a visitor attraction - use its website to find restored VC graves near you and consider volunteering or donating.
WW1 VC commemorative paving stones (nationwide scheme)
Various; 469 stones laid across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland 2014-2018, plus the overseas-born stones at the National Memorial Arboretum, United Kingdom
Government centenary scheme announced August 2013: a Yorkstone paving stone laid in the birthplace or home town of every First World War VC recipient, on or near the centenary of their action.
Tip: Most stones sit beside the local war memorial or civic centre; the IWM War Memorials Register lists each one.
Derby War Memorial and Jacob Rivers VC / Charles Hudson VC stones
Market Place, Derby DE1 3AH, United Kingdom
Carved VC commemorative stones for Derby's two WW1 VCs - Private Jacob Rivers (Sherwood Foresters, Neuve Chapelle 1915) and Brigadier Charles Hudson (Asiago 1918) - beside the city war memorial, plus a Hudson tablet. Rivers also has a blue plaque near his King Street/Queen Street birthplace and a memorial at Derby railway station where he worked. Rivers's VC is displayed at the Sherwood Foresters (Mercian Regiment) Museum, Nottingham Castle, not in Derby.
Tip: The Market Place stones, the King Street plaque and the railway station memorial make an easy 20-minute walking trail; Derby Museum (Soldiers' Story gallery) covers local regiments but does not hold the VCs.
Leeds City Museum / Royal Armouries Leeds
Millennium Square, Leeds LS2 8BH (Leeds City Museum); Armouries Drive, Leeds LS10 1LT (Royal Armouries), United Kingdom
Leeds has honoured its WW1 VC holders (Butler, Calvert, Sanders) with temporary displays at the Royal Armouries and paving stones; Leeds City Museum's Leeds Story gallery covers the city's war history.
Tip: Check ahead - no permanent VC medal display was confirmed in Leeds at the time of research.
The Beacon Museum, Whitehaven
West Strand, Whitehaven, Cumbria CA28 7LY, United Kingdom
Harbourside museum of Copeland's history; holds the 1916 Crosthwaite School memorial plaque to Private Abraham Acton VC (Border Regiment, killed 1915) in its stores, and Whitehaven has an Acton VC paving stone and memorial.
Tip: The Acton plaque is in store rather than on open display - contact the museum in advance if you want to see it.
Netley Military Cemetery and Royal Victoria Country Park
Royal Victoria Country Park, Netley Abbey, Southampton SO31 5GA, United Kingdom
Site of the vast Royal Victoria Hospital (1863-1966) where wounded from every campaign from the Crimea to WW2 were treated; the surviving chapel is a visitor centre and the military cemetery behind it holds Commonwealth and German war graves.
Tip: Climb the chapel tower for Southampton Water views, then walk to the cemetery at the rear of the park.
Australian War Memorial - Hall of Valour
Treloar Crescent, Campbell, Canberra ACT 2612, Australia
Honours all 102 Australian VC recipients and holds the largest publicly displayed VC collection in the world (around 79 VCs including Donaldson, Roberts-Smith and Baird, plus Keith Payne's).
Tip: Free entry; the Hall of Valour is on the lower level - stay for the Last Post ceremony at closing time.
Canadian War Museum
1 Vimy Place, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0M8, Canada
Holds Canada's national VC collection - 42 VCs by 2022, with further acquisitions since (e.g. Aubrey Cosens VC, 2025) - out of 99 VCs awarded to Canadians.
Tip: Free on Thursday evenings; the VCs are in the Royal Canadian Legion Hall of Honour.
Rorke's Drift and Isandlwana battlefields
Rorke's Drift, near Dundee, KwaZulu-Natal (Isandlwana 15 km east), South Africa
Scene of the 22-23 January 1879 defence by about 150 men that produced 11 VCs - the most for a single action - and of the preceding Isandlwana disaster (2 VCs). Small museum in the restored hospital building; Amafa interpretive centre at Isandlwana.
Tip: Book a guided battlefield tour (e.g. from Fugitives' Drift Lodge) - the storytelling is the point; roads are gravel.
Sevastopol (Crimea) - Crimean War battlefields
Sevastopol, Crimean Peninsula, Ukraine (Russian-occupied since 2014)
Birthplace of the VC: the 111 Crimean War awards include the Charge of the Light Brigade (Balaklava), Inkerman and the siege of Sevastopol. Russian guns captured here were long said to supply the VC's bronze.
Tip: Not currently visitable: UK FCDO advises against all travel to Crimea. Listed for historical completeness.
Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres
Menenstraat, 8900 Ieper, Belgium
CWGC memorial to 54,000 missing of the Ypres Salient, including several VC holders with no known grave; the Last Post is sounded nightly at 8 pm.
Tip: Arrive by 7.30 pm for the Last Post; the In Flanders Fields Museum is five minutes' walk away.
Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme
Thiepval, 80300, Somme, France
Largest CWGC memorial, naming 72,000 missing of the Somme, among them VC recipients; visitor centre explains the 1916 battle in which 51 VCs were won.
Tip: Free; the visitor centre database lets you look up any name on the memorial.
Lone Pine Cemetery and Memorial, Gallipoli
Gallipoli Peninsula, Canakkale, Turkey
Site of the August 1915 Battle of Lone Pine in which Australians won seven VCs in four days; the memorial names Australian and New Zealand missing of Anzac.
Tip: Visit outside Anzac Day week to avoid closures; the Anzac Commemorative Site and Chunuk Bair are on the same road.
Sherwood Foresters (Mercian Regiment) Museum, Nottingham Castle
Nottingham Castle, Lenton Road, Nottingham NG1 6EL, United Kingdom
Regimental collection of the Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) including Jacob Rivers's VC and other Foresters VCs.
Tip: Entry via the Nottingham Castle ticket; nearest place to see a Derby-born VC's medal.
Details compiled October 2026 from the organisations' own websites; always check opening times before travelling. Alf's own photographs from the National Memorial Arboretum are in the galleries.