Queens Royal Lancers and Nottinghamshire Yeomanry Museum

Situated in the historic Thoresby Courtyard in Sherwood Forest, the Queen’s Royal Lancers and Nottinghamshire Yeomanry Museum honors over three centuries of military heritage. The museum highlights three iconic cavalry regiments—the Royal Lancers, the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry, and the South Nottinghamshire Hussars—tracing their transition from horseback charges to modern armored fighting vehicles. The collection holds fascinating historical links. A prominent highlight is its connection to the infamous Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava in 1854. Among its treasures is an authentic copper bugle believed to have sounded the ill-fated charge, complete with a hole pierced by a Russian Cossack's lance. Another intriguing detail is the regimental cap badge featuring a skull and crossbones with the motto "Death or Glory," one of the most recognizable emblems in the British Army. Inside, visitors explore atmospheric galleries packed with military artifacts. Displays showcase elaborate 19th-century ceremonial uniforms, rare battle medals, historic silver pieces, and weaponry ranging from traditional lances to heavy machine guns. Interactive displays, graphic panels, and audio-visual presentations detail frontline experiences from the American War of Independence and the Boer War to D-Day tank battles and recent deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan.