For lunch today I just had a Cornetto, while walking round to the Imperial War Museum. It is only a five-minute walk away but I hardly go there at all. I probably go to Tate Modern more and that is so far away I only have time for a 15-minute look around before having to go back to work.

Lunchtime is a good time to visit. There are a lot of school parties there, but at lunchtime most of the kids are outside having their picnic lunch.

There were still a fair number of children from the same school in there, but it was incongruously quiet given the numbers. And then I noticed that they were all communicating in sign language…

Although I am generally anti-war, I can’t resist the machinery, and still get a small thrill from seeing real-life, full-sized versions of machines I had built Airfix models of as a child, like the Spitfire, Focke-Wulf 190, P-51 Mustang, Churchill tank, German 88mm anti-aircraft gun, the Matilda tank (which is still a favourite) and the mighty Jagdpanzer. That last one gave me a touch of Deja vu, as it is more or less the first thing you come to, and it was the same at Bovington tank museum a few months ago.

I also had a quick spin round the ‘Secret War’ exhibition to see the German Enigma machine again, and saw Monty’s own M4A4 tank. Now I have all the photography out of my system I shall go back next week if I can to see the holocaust exhibition. The last time I was there I had the kids with me and didn’t want to dwell there. Partly for their sake, but also out of respect for the other visitors as the kids were a bit rowdy at the time.

The name of the place still strikes me as ambiguous though, as if the “imperial” could be either specifying the museum or the wars.

A few more photos, all in full resolution are here for any other recovered Airfix addicts to get similarly nostalgic about.