Working in the museums industry I go to a lot of museums, and I have to say that it is very rare I get blown away when visiting a new museum. Yet this happened to me on a recent trip to the US at both the National Museum of the Marine Corps (NMMC) in Quantico and the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C.

As a military museum enthusiast the NMMC was epic, both in scale (it had an impressive atrium for aircraft and large vehicles in the entrance) and on the money spent on it (the building cost $60 million, and $42 million has been spent on the exhibitions). The results are a modern feeling museum that successfully combines traditional museum object displays with immersive experiences and large audio visual presentations. It has a theatrical feel to all of it, but you still feel like you are at a museum. I was also treated to a behind the scenes tour by the curators who showed me their respective object collections.

Sometimes it is not just an interest in a family tree that can inspire a search for information.

In 2007 Ann Fitzgerald donated her late father’s medals and documents to the RM Museum; they were the relic of a Dad she barely knew having been three years old when she last saw him. She had grown up to know he had been killed during the Second World War, but had not known the following story.

Through donating her father's medals to the Museum we were able to fill in some of the missing details for her.

The Royal Marines Museum is pleased to announce an exclusive relationship with Red Anywhere Catering.

There are catering companies and then there’s Red Anywhere. Catering an event is more than just supplying the food and the service. It’s sharing passion with a belief in the quality of our food as well as being individual and specific to you.

Red Anywhere catering is headed up by Dan Clarke, Creative Chef and Master Chef of Great Britain. Our mission is to rise above other catering companies by providing a personal and attentive catering service that that delivers on its promises. With a visionary and proactive approach to any event, Red Anywhere is a trend setter, not a follower, among catering companies.

With passion, creativity and experience, Red Anywhere have the perfect recipe for every occasion.

 If Christmas shopping is always a chore this book is the answer. Not only is it a fantastic read, but £1 from the sale of each book goes to the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund.

After a successful 18 year career in The Royal Marines, Nathan Sawyer is at a crossroads in his life, wondering which path to follow. Fate takes a hand when he witnesses 2 Serbian men beating up a young girl. He intervenes, rescues her and discovers she is a Montenegrin, called Elena Borovic. She and eleven other girls were kidnapped in Belgrade and for over a year have been forced to live as sex slaves in Liverpool. A rescue is mounted for the remaining girls which plunges Sawyer and his team into the middle of a gang war.

Available to buy at the Royal Marines Museum shop

In a new five-part series, Ross embeds with Whiskey Company 45 Commando Royal Marines to find out what has changed ten years on from 9/11. Throughout the series Ross will bring the audience up to date with how things are changing in Afghanistan.  Later in the series he will spend time with 3^rd Battalion USMC and amongst others conducts interviews with CDS, General Caldwell, William Patey and a member of Al Qaeda.

Sky 1. Monday 14th November 9pm

The latest fundraising project from the Royal Marines Association has seen them spend the last 6 months tirelessly working with injured Royal Marines to produce the first injured soldier calendar. The calendar features 12 lads with a range of injuries and illnesses that are not necessarily battlefield related but each one has faced and overcome adversity in some shape or form and has came out of the other side smiling. The idea behind the calendar was to show that after having a life changing incident it's not all doom and gloom and that a lot of positives can come from one negative. It is also to show the determination, spirit and cheerfulness in the face of adversity that has become world renowned with the Royal Marines.

The Royal Marines Museum has made a 'Remembrance' film with Portsmouth Live TV. The film focused on memorials for Royal Marines at the Museum and during our week of Remembrance in the lead up to our Service of Remembrance on Sunday 13th November we hope you enjoy the seeing it.

http://www.portsmouthlive.tv/local-reports/522-royal-marines-museum-memorials-episode2.html

Following the sad death of Sir Jimmy Savile on 29th October 2011and during our week of remembrance it seems fitting to share the details of the long association with the Royal Marines that Sir Jimmy had.

Over an extended period Sir Jimmy completed the Commando Training Course at Lympstone, Devon. In 1966 Jimmy and his brother Vince, then a serving officer with the Royal Navy, completed the gruelling 30 mile march over Dartmoor which has to be done in 8 hours. Jimmy and Vince both finished the march and Jimmy was awarded the coveted green beret.

Over the years Sir Jimmy maintained his connection with the Corps often attending parades and ceremonies.His passing is a loss to the Royal Marines who will sorely miss him.

The Royal Marines Museum will be holding a Service of Remembrance on Sunday 13th November. The service will be conducted by The Reverent Michael Wagstaff RN.

There is free admission to the Museum on this day.

Our exhibition ‘Why Stay Silent’ has been nominated for best exhibition at the Portsmouth News Guide Awards. The award ceremony will be held on 14th November.

If you're interested in reserching your Royal Marine relative but don't know where to start we've done the hard work for you by creating a top 10 list which will set you off in the righ direction.

Lord Ashdown, a former special forces commando, tells the story of the 'Cockleshell Heroes', who led one of the most daring and audacious commando raids of World War II.

The program was partly filmed at the Royal Marines Museum and on the beach in front of the Museum earlier this year.

Don't miss it tonight on BBC 2 at 9pm. Available to watch again on iPlayer.

Sunday 30th October is the Great South Run in Portsmouth. This means that getting to the Museum in the morning could be quite difficult if you're driving in to Portsmouth due to road closures.

The roads are expected to be fully open by 3pm.

http://www.greatrun.org/events/event.aspx?id=12

We apologise for the inconvenience.

It is the Royal Marines 347th birthday on Friday 28th October. Please  help spread the word about the RMA textathon, text BOOTNECK to 70300 to donate £3 to the Royal Marines Association, the money will go towards financial and welfare support for the wounded, retired RM's, serving RM's and the big wide and wonderful Royal Marines family, please spread the word and get texting, thank you.