The Mapping Museum research project was created to look at the increase in the number of museums in the UK. As part of this project, Tony Figg was interviewed about the Adjutant General’s Corps Museum.

Explore more about the Mapping Museum project here and read Figg's interview below:

Interview summary

Name of person being interviewed: Tony Figg

Location of interview: Adjutant General’s Corps Museum, Winchester

Date of Recording: 05 December 2018

Recording Length: 01:27:31

Name of interviewer: Dr Toby Butler

Description: The Adjutant General's Corps Museum in Winchester displays collections relating to the Corps and its constituent antecedents (the AGC was established in 1992, combining the Royal Army Pay Corps, the Royal Army Educational Corps, the Womens Royal Army Corps, Army Legal Corps, the Military Provost Staff Corps and the Royal Military Police)

Summary of main points in interview: Colonel Tony Figg, Head of Army Heritage at the Ministry of Defence 2005-2014, explains the difference between regiments and corps, and that many regimental museums were formed up to the 1960s.

Fewer resources in the 1970s fewer meant that questions were asked about resourcing army museums. The National Army Museum moved from Sandhurst to Chelsea; many became charities so they could fundraise, and slowly more formal arrangements and policies were created by the Army Board.

Studies done in the mid-2000s and 2011 identified those museums which were particularly difficult to visit, and it was decided that the Army would withdraw funding for those.

Civil servants were introduced to run museums and they were encouraged to gain core museum skills and become AMAs (Associate of the Museum Association). It was planned that over the decades the number of funded museums would decrease, going down to one museum per cap badge (existing regiment or corps). Some museums have been adopted by local councils; some have amalgamated; some collections have gone to the National Army Museum.

Figg gives an account of the formation of the Adjutant General’s Corps, which came about after amalgamation of several corps in 1992. Trustees made a case to Army Headquarters for funding for converting the disused guard room at the entrance of Winchester barracks, along with fundraising from the Heritage Lottery Fund (£250K) and individual donors.

Figg discusses the important role ex-soldiers can play in museums, outlines the fundraising efforts made to fund the museum and its ongoing costs, and describes the substantial amount of work necessary to convert prison courtyards and cells into the museum and a cafe.

He discusses how councils are often more involved further North and in Scotland, reflecting the importance of the Army as an employer; and the difficulties of finding people in their fifties and sixties prepared to become trustees. He explains why so many Army museums are based in Winchester, which has the highest concentration in the country.