The Founder of tThe Green Howards Regimental Museum

The Friends
of the
Green Howards

Brigadier Tommy Collins
Founder of the Green Howards Museum

Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment (19th Foot) The North York Militia, The North York Local Militia & North York Rifle Volunteers

The founder of the Green Howards Museum died peacefully in his sleep on the 28th May 1999, aged 94 years.

As a young subaltern in the 1920s, whilst serving in India and Shanghai, Lieutenant Tommy Collins began to take an interest in historic uniforms and headdress. He studied military history, researched royal warrants and clothing regulations, then started to collect. Sixty years later, he had amassed over 80 uniforms dating from 1768, amongst which were three scarlet uniforms worn at Sevastopol in 1855; one with full equipment, belonging to an officer and two soldiers in the 19th Foot. He also found a complete set of regimental headwear from 1768 to the present day. This prompted Dr David Chandler, the renowned military historian, to comment that "this is undoubtedly the finest regimental collection in the country."

Since 1934, Tommy Collins was inspired to create a regimental museum based on the collections of Colonel E. H. Chapman, Major M. L. Ferrar and his own. In 1938 he opened it in the Barracks in Richmond. This was the first regimental museum to open to the public. It was also his vision and drive to convert the redundant church in the centre of the market place into a new regimental museum.

On 25th July 1973, this museum was officially opened by the Colonel-in-Chief, Olav V, King of Norway. By 1975, the museum was runner-up in the prestigious Museum of the Year Award attracting nearly 37,000 visitors in the first year. Apart from being a Trustee of the Museum for over 60 years, he was Vice-Chairman of the Army Historical Research Society, a Trustee of the Army Museums Ogliby Trust and was on the Executive Committee of the National Army Museum .

The Museum in the centre of Richmond stands as a tribute to Brigadier Tommy Collins' love of his regiment and to his long term vision and inspiration in creating one of the finest small military museums in the country. Today, a beautiful oil painting of Brigadier Tommy, donated by his brother officers, hangs in the ground floor gallery overlooking a remarkable display of old uniforms which have been renamed "The Collins Collection".