Roy Butler has been associated with the world of militaria, arms and armor for 50 years, and he is an auctioneer and senior partner of the specialist auction house Wallis & Wallis. As an avid collector of things military, his collection of military headdress from 1750 to 1914 is one of the finest in existence. In 1977, he opened his own museum, The Military Heritage Museum, in Lewes. He was made a freeman of the City of London in 1980. At present he is writing a book on the relics of Nelson's navy.