Museum of the Manchester Regiment

Our Friends Abroad: 

The Story of the Manchester Regiments Allied Units

A new exhibition tracing the long and affectionate relationships of the Manchester Regiment with other units from across the world has started at the Museum of the Manchester Regiment.

Based in Ashton Town Hall, the museum’s exhibition traces, through photographs and objects, the relationships the Manchester Regiment has developed over many years with units from across the world. The aim of regimental alliances is to promote mutual understanding and friendship between all ranks of both Regiments that are linked.

On public display for the first time is the uniform of Lieutenant-Colonel Nadir Khan, Commanding Officer of 1st Battalion (Scinde) The Frontier Force Regiment, Pakistan as well as that of Lieutenant-General Devraj Singh, Honorary Colonel of the 5th Battalion, The Sikh Regiment, India. Both these uniforms were presented to the Museum of the Manchester Regiment specifically for the exhibition by these officers.

The exhibition also includes a ‘No.1 Uniform’, as worn by a sailor aboard HMS Manchester, the Regiment’s affiliated Ship. Among the other material on display for the first time are items from West Africa, Malaysia, Canada, Australia and New-Zealand.

Project head for Tourism and Heritage, Councillor Jackie Lane said: “Men from Ashton, Oldham, Manchester and across the North-West fought in the Manchester Regiment alongside men in units from India and Pakistan during both the First and Second World Wars. During the ‘Malayan Emergency’ (1948-60) thousands of national servicemen of the Regiment worked with international forces to defend the country from Terrorists. Today these friendships are still remembered and celebrated. The aim of our exhibition is to show our visitors that such international friendships are as important today as they have ever been”.

The Museum would be interested to hear from anyone that served with the Manchester Regiment and has memories of their service days, souvenirs they may wish to donate to the Museum or memories of the Regiment’s allied units. The exhibition runs until June 2010

If you are interested in the 'Our Friends Abroad' why not download our Word Search Game 37.89 KB   and try and find the words linked to our friends.

 Future Exhibitions:

The Museum aims to mount a new special exhibition every six months over the next five years. Each of the following exhibitions will also appear on-line but please do visit the museum and see the objects for yourself, first hand.

These exhibitions are planned to be:

July - December 2010

• Boy Soldiers: The Regiments Cadets.

January - June 2011

• Life on the Move: The Story of Campaign Furniture.

July - December 2011

• The Home Guard: The Story of the Regiments. Home Guard Units.

January - June 2012

• To be decided

Do you have any objects or information about these themes that we could use in our exhibition? If you do the curator would very much like to talk with you about your knowledge of these themes and any objects that you may have that connect the themes with the Manchester Regiment.

As you can see the January - June 2012 exhibition has yet to he decided. Have you any ideas for future exhibitions that tell a lesser-known aspect of the Manchester Regiment Story? If you do please feel free to contact the curator.

Past Exhibitions:

• Come on the 63rd (October 2004 -December 2005)
• Volunteer Infantry of Ashton-under-Lyne 1859-1971 (January - December 2006)
• Who do we think we are? The Manchester Regiment Archives (January - June 2007)
• All the King’s Men: The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment (July - December 2007)
• Prisoners: The Story of the Regiment’s Far East Prisoners of War 1942-1945 (January - June 2008)
• The Manchester Regiment Territorials 1914-1918 (July - December 2008)
• Life on the Veldt: The Story of the Manchester Regiment’s Fight in South Africa 1899-1902 (January-June 2009)
• The Ardwick Boys: The Story of the 8th (Ardwick) Battalion of The Manchester Regiment

Contact Information
Send us a Message	Museum of the Manchester Regiment Ashton Town Hall Market Place Ashton-under-Lyne OL6 6DL View local map
0161 342 2254