Like all museums, we regularly update our galleries to ensure we can share as much of the 33 million items in our collection as possible with the public.

We are very proud to have displayed the Lord Ashcroft Medal Collection at IWM London since 2010, made possible thanks to a generous 15-year loan by Lord Ashcroft.

IWM London has proudly displayed Victoria Crosses and George Crosses since 1968, and we remain committed to sharing these stories of the greatest acts of bravery and sacrifice in defence of our nation with the public. We plan for VC and GC medals from IWM's collection to continue to be displayed across our UK branches, integrated within galleries that tell the full story of the conflicts in which these acts of bravery occurred.

Over the past 10 years at IWM London, we have opened new galleries exploring the First and Second World Wars, The Holocaust, and our art, film and photography collection. Our displays exploring the past 80 years of post-Second World War conflict, including the Cold War, Falklands War and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, are less well represented. Our aim is to address this by creating new gallery spaces on upper floors at IWM London, which will allow us to share more stories of conflicts that are within many of our visitors' living memory.

To prepare for the development of these new spaces, The Lord Ashcroft Gallery at IWM London will close permanently from 1 June 2025. We are enormously grateful to Lord Ashcroft and the other private lenders who have enabled us to display these important medals since the gallery opened.

About the display

This display houses the world's largest collection of Victoria Crosses, alongside a significant collection of George Crosses. Discover over 250 stories of people who faced adversity and performed acts of bravery. All were awarded either a Victoria Cross (VC) or George Cross (GC) - the highest recognitions of bravery that can be given by Britain and, for many years, the Commonwealth.

Explore the concept of bravery and what motivates people to undertake acts of heroism. Objects on display include the extensively damaged backpack worn by Lance Corporal Matt Croucher GC who, in Afghanistan 2008, threw himself onto a grenade saving the lives of his comrades. The backpack also helped to save his own life. You can also see the diving suit worn by James Magennis VC, who left his submarine in order to free explosive charges that had got caught during an attack on a Japanese boat in 1945.

To read the complete article, see:
Closure of the Lord Ashcroft Gallery(https://www.iwm.org.uk/events/lord-ashcroft-gallery)

Lord Ashcroft yesterday said he was blindsided by the decision and sad the display will no longer be available to the public.

He told the Mail: 'Every year, generations of young people and their parents have visited the Lord Ashcroft Gallery and marvelled at the exploits of the brave men and women whose courage has protected our freedom.

'It makes me sad indeed to think that this remarkable record will now not be available to the public and will instead be hidden away in a secure vault.'

He also urged the public to visit the collection before its closure on June 1.

The billionaire was in Ukraine interviewing soldiers in the war against Russia when he was informed his tribute was being dismantled without his consultation.

It is believed Lord Ashcroft, who began collecting the medals in the 1980s, intended to leave the valuable collection to the museum in his will in the hope it would remain on public display.

The living medal holders were also not believed to have been informed of the decision ahead of the museum's formal announcement yesterday.

The Victoria Cross and George Cross Association, which represents many of the medal holders, has also voiced its 'disappointment' and said it was hoping to find another home for the collocation.

'We look forward to another solution being found to ensure that these incredible stories stay in the public domain and continue to inspire generations to come,' it said in a statement.

To read the complete article, see:
Lord Ashcroft's sadness as Imperial War Museum is set to close landmark exhibition of medals celebrating British military bravery(https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14436125/Lord-Ashcrofts-Imperial-War-Museum-close-landmark-exhibition.html)

To read the complete articles, see:
Lord Ashcroft's collection of Victoria Crosses pulled from display at Imperial War Museum(https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/02/25/imperial-war-museum-largest-collection-victoria-crosses-uk/)
VC winners' families attack 'appalling' Imperial War Museum decision to close gallery(https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/02/28/vc-winner-families-attack-imperial-war-museum-close-gallery/)