Combined Military Services Museum
Photo: Geograph Britain and Ireland — CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Combined Military Services Museum in Maldon, Essex, displays artifacts from British military history, including the only surviving Cockle Canoe from the Cockleshell Raid and a large collection of Special Operations Executive equipment.
Planning your visit
The Combined Military Services Museum in Maldon holds a private collection of considerable depth, and two things distinguish it from the county-regiment museums common across Britain.
The first is the Special Operations Executive material — one of the largest collections of SOE and clandestine equipment anywhere, covering the sabotage devices, concealed weapons, forged documents and radio sets used by agents in occupied Europe. Much of it was designed to be hidden or disguised, and seeing the ingenuity involved is the pleasure of it.
The second is the last surviving Cockle Mk II canoe from Operation Frankton, the 1942 raid in which Royal Marines paddled up the Gironde estuary to attach limpet mines to German ships at Bordeaux. Ten men set out; two survived. The raid was filmed as The Cockleshell Heroes.
Beyond those, the collection covers arms and armour from the medieval period onward, uniforms and vehicles.
Maldon is in Essex, known also for its salt and Thames barges. Allow two hours. The main booking is an entry ticket. Current availability is shown below.
Before you book
Where is Combined Military Services Museum?
Combined Military Services Museum is in Maldon, United Kingdom. The map on this page marks its exact location.
How long should I allow for Combined Military Services Museum?
Allow two hours. That is the time the collection itself takes at an unhurried pace, before any queue.
Do I need to book Combined Military Services Museum in advance?
Combined tickets cover more than one site and are bought in advance.