Editorial BMJ Mil Health: first published as 10.1136/jramc-2019-001305 on 5 March 2020. Downloaded from The Museum of Military Medicine’s relocation plans: a transformational world class development in Wales Jason Semmens
In 2016, the Museum of Military Medi- cine (MMM) embarked on an ambitious transformation programme as part of a longer term project to relocate the museum from Keogh Barracks, near Alder- shot, to Cardiff, in South Wales, by 2022. In addition to designing a new museum facility in Cardiff, all aspects of the Muse- um’s operations and governance have been revisited with a view to transforming MMM from a supported regimental Figure 3 Rendering of the interior of the new collection to a self-sustaining cultural and museum facility on Britannia Quay, Cardiff. innovation enterprise. Image courtesy of Scott Brownrigg. The museum was founded in 1952 as the RAMC Historical Museum at Church Crookham, Hampshire, moving to the the museum no longer offers the kind of training depot at Keogh Barracks in the Figure 1 Rendering of the new museum experiences expected by today’s museum mid-1960s. It was conceived as a regi- facility on Britannia Quay, Cardiff. Image visitors. Instead, in its new Cardiff Bay mental collection rather than a morbid courtesy of Scott Brownrigg. location (figure 1) MMM will refocus anatomy museum, in part to foster an its offer to appeal to the wider visiting ‘esprit de corps’ among the serving public, using the collections, manuscript personnel passing through the barracks. In voted unanimously to pursue that option archives and digital technology to explore 1999, the RAMC museum collection was in January 2016. innovations in trauma medicine during joined by those of the other three corps The Trust’s ambition to relocate the conflict and healthcare management in of the Army Medical Services: the Royal MMM stems from the recognition that humanitarian relief and how the health Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army in order to build a sustainable future for benefits accrued from military medicine http://militaryhealth.bmj.com/ Dental Corps and the Queen Alexandra’s the museum’s collections it needs to look have contributed to the well- being and Royal Army Nursing Corps, to form the beyond the current Ministry of Defence- general health benefit of civilian popula- Army Medical Services Museum.1 supported regimental museum set- up and tions globally. The impetus for the recent re-evalu- to extend the scope of the museum’s oper- The Cardiff Bay site has enabled the ation of the museum’s future direction ations to increase its visibility and rele- trustees to reconsider the museum facility was the removal of the Defence Medical vance. The present location offers little as a new paradigm in terms of being a Services Training Centre (DMSTC) from scope for expansion, either in terms of world class visitor attraction and as a Keogh Barracks to Whittington Barracks, facilities or developing footfall; moreover, centre of research, innovation and leader- Lichfield, in 2013, rendering the longer ship. While it will retain MMM’s collec- term prospects of Keogh Barracks and tions and archives as its core draw, the on March 9, 2020 by guest. Protected copyright. its continuing medical connexion open new facility will engage audiences with to doubt.2 Initially the museum trustees world class immersive and interactive sought to follow DMSTC and relocate displays, and with academic partners will to Lichfield, in what would have been a explore medical innovation and its appli- combined facility with the Staffordshire cation through leadership and manage- regimental and Yeomanry museums, and ment programmes (figure 2). also explored sites in York, Southampton MMM’s business plan identifies a series and Liverpool. An approach by Cardiff of income streams that will enable the Council in summer 2015 encouraged the museum to become self-sustaining. These trustees to consider that city as a possible are broadly identified as prebuild and new venue for the museum, and they postbuild revenues. Of the former, MMM is currently working with academic part- ners and the National Health Service on The Museum of Military Medicine, Aldershot GU12 codeveloping Master’s Degrees in health 5RQ, UK leadership and Continuous Professional Correspondence to Jason Semmens, The Museum of Figure 2 Rendering of the new museum Development courses for industry, again Military Medicine, Keogh Barracks, Ash Vale, Aldershot focused on leadership. An MBA and GU12 5RQ, UK; jason. semmens@muse umofmilitary facility on Britannia Quay, Cardiff. Image medicine.org. uk courtesy of Scott Brownrigg. post grad research degree will also be Semmens J. BMJ Military Month 2020 Vol 0 No 0 1 Editorial BMJ Mil Health: first published as 10.1136/jramc-2019-001305 on 5 March 2020. Downloaded from established. The Master’s course will Ars Electronica brings international links The launch of the new museum in 2022 be designed to attract UK and overseas to the Cardiff, and MMM will develop a will see an exciting and prestigious new students with innovative course content biennial medical innovation festival with national archive and collections facility using past and present defence medical colleagues in Copenhagen and in Linz. that is ‘world class’ being fully available to service innovations as case studies, with The RAMC Muniment Archive,4 the public for the first time and is likely to master class opportunities from part- currently held at the Wellcome Library, attract significant public and media atten- ners, especially leaders in the military will also be repatriated to MMM on its tion. The aim is that MMM will partner in and exciting academic, health and mili- move to Cardiff, finally bringing all of the health, well-being, tourism and education tary locations for study and experience. RAMC historical collections and archives agendas local to Wales and nationally. Recruitment and accreditation will be under one roof. The new facility will have managed by the partner universities, and temperature and humidity-controlled Contributors JS (M.A., AMA) is the Director of The MMM will receive a commission against archive and storage rooms, facilitating the Museum of Military Medicine. fees raised and a contribution to any costs long-term preservation of the collections. Funding The author has not declared a specific grant incurred. In addition, capital funding These collections will be made available for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors will be raised from grants and donations, to a much wider public for research and sponsorship and investment. engagement in a manner not currently Competing interests None declared. Postbuild, a mix of conferencing, retail, possible ‘behind the wire’, and will make Patient consent for publication Not required. catering, admissions charging, temporary the legacy of military medicine and its Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; exhibitions, events and venue hire is being continuing application and innovation internally peer reviewed. planned, and educational programmes and more widely known. © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. No commercial innovative research partnerships will all The project has received significant re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ. contribute to the long-term viability of the levels of support from Cardiff Council, project. MMM will also feature an active Welsh Government and the Army. Cardiff public engagement programme featuring Council has offered a 250-year lease on a To cite Semmens J. BMJ Military Epub ahead of print: serving personnel, academics and medical site on Britannia Quay, a waterfront site [please include Day Month Year]. doi:10.1136/ practitioners, to bring medical innovation on the eastern side of the Bay, and it is jramc-2019-001305 and practice to public attention. anticipated that the Museum’s proposed Accepted 7 August 2019 One unique feature of the new museum building will receive planning approval by 5 BMJ Military 2020;0:1–2. facility will be the ‘Deep Space’, an December this year. The Welsh Govern- doi:10.1136/jramc-2019-001305 immersive and interactive attraction ment has expressed a desire to support developed by the Ars Electronica in Linz, the development of this, while the Army References Austria, being brought to Cardiff in part- continues to provide operational support, 1 Starling PH. “Army Medical Services Museums”. Army nership.3 The ‘Deep Space’ offers distinct which is projected to continue out till Med Serv Mag 1999;55. two-dimensional and three-dimensional 2030. Currently the Trust is seeking an 2 Macmillan A, Bricknell M. A view of future issues for defence medical training. RUSI J 2004;149:48–54. sensory experiences to visitors, with 8K investor who will fund the building, and
3 Available: https://ars.electronica. art/center/ en/ http://militaryhealth.bmj.com/ resolution. Current offerings include that foundations and trusts, such as the exhibitions/deepspace/ [Accessed 16 June 2019]. taking CT or MRI data and rendering it in National Lottery Heritage Fund and Well- 4 Available: https://wellcomelibrary.org/ collections/digital- three-dimensional, facilitating interaction come Trust, will provide funding for the collections/royal- army-medical- corps/ [Accessed 10 June with the interior body that can be used as fit out. Those conversations are underway 2019]. 5 Available: https://museumof military medicine.org. a teaching aid in addition to serving as a but will follow a defined timeline for grant uk/2019/ 07/26/ a-transformational- world-class- visitor attraction. The partnership with the applications (figure 3). development-in-wales/ [Accessed 26 June 2019]. on March 9, 2020 by guest. Protected copyright.
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