The museum 's exhibits collection includes a wide range of objects , organised into numerous smaller collections such as uniforms , badges , insignia and flags ( including a Canadian Red Ensign carried at Vimy Ridge in 1917 , a Union flag from the 1942 British surrender of Singapore , and another found among the wreckage of the World Trade Center following the September 11 attacks ) ; personal mementoes , souvenirs and miscellanea such as trench art ; orders , medals and decorations ( including collections of Victoria and George Crosses ) ; military equipment ; firearms and ammunition , ordnance , edged weapons , clubs ( such as trench clubs ) and other weapons , and vehicles , aircraft and ships . The museum holds the national collection of modern firearms . The firearms collection includes a rifle used by T. E. Lawrence , and an automatic pistol owned by Winston Churchill . The ordnance collection includes artillery pieces that participated in notable battles , such as the Néry gun , a field gun that was used during the 1914 action at Néry , and equipment captured from enemy forces . The museum 's vehicles collection includes '' Ole Bill '' , a bus used by British forces in the First World War , and a number of vehicles used by Field Marshal Montgomery during the Second World War . The museum 's aircraft collection includes aircraft that are notable for their rarity , such as the only complete and original Royal Aircraft Factory R.E. 8 in existence and one of only two surviving TSR-2 strike aircraft , and aircraft associated with particular actions , such as a Supermarine Spitfire flown during the Battle of Britain . The museum 's naval collection includes HM Coastal Motor Boat 4 and a midget submarine HMS XE8 . In 2012 the museum reported its exhibits collection to contain 155,000 objects and a further 357 vehicles and aircraft
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Imperial War Museum