Many current and former Highlanders have not visited the Regimental Museum. Now you can explore it from wherever you are — and discover far more than a quick walk-through could ever provide.
Have you visited the 48th Highlanders Museum?
For many current and former members of the Regiment, the honest answer is probably no. Work, school, family commitments, distance, and museum hours all get in the way. Some may not know exactly where the museum is. Some may not realize how much is there. Some may not even know that we have a Regimental Museum.
That is a shame — because the 48th Highlanders Museum is one of the Regiment’s real treasures. It did not build itself. Generations of Highlanders and volunteers have given thousands of hours to collect, preserve, organize, and interpret thevRegiment’s story. The result is a remarkable museum that reflects service, sacrifice, tradition, and regimental pride from 1891 to the present day.
The Digital Guided Tour App
Now there is an easy way to explore it properly, whether you are across the city or across the Country (or, for that matter, overseas). The 48th Highlanders Museum Digital Guided Tour App lets you visit the museum using your phone, tablet, or computer. It is not just a website or a list of artifacts. It is a guided experience that takes you from one display to the next, then from a display case to the artifacts inside it, and on to the related people, photographs, and stories behind them.You can use the Tour to focus on what interests you most — weapons, uniforms, war service, UN or NATO service, notable Highlanders, and more. You do not have to follow the same path as everyone else. You can build a tour that matches your interests. For those currently serving, this is more than a look into the past.
It is a way to better understand the regiment you serve today and to become a more informed, more professional Highlander. The uniforms, weapons, traditions, and experiences preserved in the museum are part. For former members, the app offers a way to reconnect with the Regiment through the equipment, stories, and memories that still matter long after service ends.
One example of a good place to begin (there are many others!) is the display “Field Uniforms: 1914–1975”. This display shows how the appearance, equipment, and experience of Highlanders changed across generations. It includes uniforms, weapons, equipment, posters, and related material from the First World War, the Second World War, and the post-war era.
Among the featured artifacts are the Bren Gun, Mk 1M, the flag marking the limit of advance at Vimy Ridge, and the Lewis Gun Mark 1. On the list of artifacts, select any of these to dive deeper. Each leads into a much larger story. The Bren connects to the realities of twentieth-century warfare. The Vimy flag marker connects directly to one of The Regiment’s defning battlefeld achievements. The Lewis Gun shows an earlier generation of firepower and the Highlanders who used it. Several striking posters and other items add colour and context.
This is also why the Tour has become more useful over time. When the virtual tour app was launched, we discovered that people often did not want to stop after only one display. They followed one trail, and then another, then another … never running out of interest but often running out of time. That is why the app now includes a “Resume Tour” feature. If you need to stop your virtual tour, you can come back later and continue where you left off.
The museum is too good, and the work behind it too substantial, to be left unexplored. Take a proper look.
