From Front Lines to Finish Lines – the RLC and its predecessors at the Olympic Games

Medals and the military go hand in hand, and our latest feature exhibition investigates the theme from a wholly new direction – through Olympic greatness.

This exhibition explores the links between soldiers of the Royal Logistic Corps and its predecessors, and the Olympic Games.

The stories of over 20 Olympians are told in the exhibition, placing their sporting achievements alongside their military achievements.

‘There are a really strong mix of stories in the exhibition,’ says Archivist Eliot Broadbridge, who curated the exhibition. ‘There are Olympians like rower David Haig-Thomas of the Royal Army Service Corps who on the outbreak of the Second World War signed up for military service; and well-known names like boxer Henry Cooper, who attributes to his success in the ring to his National Service with the Royal Army Ordnance Corps.’

The exhibition is illustrated with objects lent to the museum, including the bicycle ridden by Victor Louis Johnson when he won a gold medal at the 1908 London Olympic Games.

See the exhibition for yourself. The Museum is open Tuesday to Saturday from 9.30 to 4pm. Entrance is free but donations are welcomed.