UK Aviation Museum News – Page 18

Air Tattoo Air Traffickers Honoured

GATCO Award for RIAT

The dedication and professionalism of the Royal International Air Tattoo’s volunteer Air Traffic Services (ATS) team during the past 50 years has been recognised with the presentation of a prestigious trophy.

Awarded by the Guild of Air Traffic Control Officers (GATCO), the Hunt Trophy is the organisation’s highest honour and is awarded only occasionally to an individual or group considered to have made an outstanding contribution to air traffic services. The Air Tattoo’s volunteer ATS team was selected for its dedication since the first Air Tattoo was staged at North Weald airfield in 1971.

GATCO President and CEO Luis Barbero announced the award during a virtual meeting (on June 25) attended by past and present members of the Air Traffic Services team. They included current ATS Manager Gary Elson, his immediate predecessor Ian Revell and Nigel Green, GATCO’s current retired members co-ordinator, who led the Air Tattoo’s ATS team for a number of years. Also present were Air Tattoo CEO Paul Atherton, Head of Air Operations Peter Reoch and Chairman of the Air Tattoo’s parent company RAF Charitable Trust Enterprises, Alan Smith.

Luis Barbero said: “I’m incredibly humbled and honoured on behalf of GATCO to present the Hunt Trophy to the Air Traffic Services team at the Royal International Air Tattoo to mark 50 years of commitment and dedication as volunteers helping make the event the biggest military airshow in the world. We wish to thank you for all the work you do and for making the event possible for all the aviation enthusiasts in the UK and around the world.”

Ian Revell said: “It’s a real honour to be recognised by our peers, it really means a lot to the team. Over 20 years that I was manager, I was really lucky to work with some really talented and dedicated people and that’s what makes the team. I am sure the skill, determination and dedication hasn’t changed over the years.

“It would be wrong to receive this without also recognising the team at RAF Brize Norton who, over the years, have helped us by providing our radar service so this award is for them as well.”

www.airtattoo.com

GAF Jindivik arrives at Newark Air Museum

Newark Jindivik

Earlier this year the trustees of Newark Air Museum advised they were taking ownership of GAF Jindivik, A92-708. They are now pleased to confirm that the Jindivik was collected from Aerospace Bristol on Monday 28th June, 2021 and delivered to their Gateway Aviation Site in eastern Nottinghamshire.

The Jindivik had been in store at Aerospace Bristol’s site at Patchway, Bristol and the collection of the exhibit was timed to take place after the easing of some Covid-19 guidelines across England.

As an Accredited Museum, the trustees of Newark Air Museum were able to facilitate the transfer of this exhibit in quite a simple manner. The trustees appreciate the assistance provided by Stefanie Vincent AMA, Collections Manager at Aerospace Bristol throughout the acquisition process.

“We are extremely grateful to Aerospace Bristol for helping us to complete this latest acquisition”, reiterated museum trustee Colin Savill, he continued. “From its use a target drone the Jindivik lies within two of our collecting remits; it will also complement the museum’s UAV display. The UAV display was established as a collaborative exercise with the Institute of Engineering and Surveying and Space Geodesy (IESSG) at the University of Nottingham and the RAF Museum, Hendon.”

“Firstly, it fits within our training collection where we have a considerable aircraft collection and other training aids. Secondly it complements our developing munitions display including Blue Steel, Yellow Sun, various missiles and bomb disposal equipment.”

He concluded, “Now it has arrived we plan to assemble the Jindivik and display it close to our entrance area. Our long term aim is to be able to display it under cover. We are really pleased to have added this to our collection.”

www.newarkairmuseum.org

RAF Museum Conference: New Thinking in Air Power

RAF Museum London

16 September – 17 September 2021

Tickets are now available for Royal Air Force Museum’s ‘New Thinking in Air Power’ conference on 16–17 September 2021. The conference will bring together academics and scholars to present Air Power research which challenges the accepted historical consensus.

The conference will feature a keynote address given by Professor John Ferris entitled “Revolutions in Airpower, 1903-2021: An Anatomy” and a Roundtable session chaired by Professor David Edgerton.

The research presented at the conference will offer critical reflections on, and reframe our historical understanding of, Air Power and the past. They will overturn the generally accepted view of events in the light of new evidence and modified interpretations. In doing so, this research revises the conclusions of previous works and challenging myths which have developed within the study of Air Power.

The conference represents an important moment in advancing historical knowledge as well an exciting line-up of speakers from around the World assess the current state of the Air Power historiography and the future direction of Air Power thinking.

The panels hosted at the conference will focus on presenting the latest research on a range of Air Power topics including: The First World War: from East Africa to the Western Front; New Thinking and the Application of Digital Methods to the History of the RAF in the Second World War; Air Power and the Nuclear Paradigm.

There will also be panels reconsidering the motivations of individuals and air forces and a reassessment of Air Power Doctrine and Procurement.

The conference will present research and papers relating to Air Power both in Britain and abroad, with research on the Air Power capabilities of African regional powers; the stigmatization of psychological Issues in the US Army Air Forces; training and air forces in the Middle East, American statecraft and transatlantic collaboration on the Joint Strike Fighter; the Luftwaffe and National Socialism; and Soviet strike capabilities during the Cold War.

The conference keynote will be given by Professor Ferris the author of Behind the Enigma: The Authorised History of GCHQ, Britain’s Secret Cyber Intelligence Agency and The Evolution of British Strategic Policy, 1919-1926. Professor Ferris has published over 100 articles or chapters on diplomatic, intelligence, imperial, international, military and strategic history, and strategic studies. His keynote will explore “Revolutions in Airpower, 1903-2021: An Anatomy”.

The conference will conclude with a roundtable, Chaired by Professor David Edgerton, which will explore both the issues raised at the conference and the future direction of revisionist Air Power history.

Further information is available in the provisional Conference schedule and programme of abstracts and biographies.

Location
The conference will be hosted at the Royal Air Force Museum, London, on Thursday 16 – Friday 17 September 2021.

TICKETS
This is a two-day conference, each ticket provides access to both days of the conference. Lunch and refreshments on both days are included in the cost.
Conference fee: £85
Concession* rate: £60

* The Concession rate applies to Students, retired delegates, and those that clearly work from limited budgets, as part of the RAF Museum’s commitment to make the conference as inclusive as possible.

Book here Buy Tickets for Royal Air Force Museum Conference: New Thinking in Air Power (digitickets.co.uk)

www.rafmuseum.org

Newark Air Museum Outdoor Aeroboot Aviation & Avionics Sale

Newark Aeroboot 2021

DATE: Saturday 3rd July, 2021

The next Newark Air Museum Indoor Aeroboot / Aerojumble Sale at the museum’s site in eastern Nottinghamshire takes place on Saturday 3rd July, 2021. This charity fund raising event has attracted interest from a wide range of sellers and once again is a sell-out event.

The funds that the museum raises from organising the event will be used to support the development of facilities at its Gateway Aviation Site, which is located in eastern Nottinghamshire close to the Lincolnshire border.

More than forty-five (45) sellers, who come from around the UK will have selling spaces on the wide expanses of our Southfield Site, close to the aircraft display line and the museum café.

The sale is being organised on a Covid-Secure basis and everyone entering will need to comply with the current Step 3 Covid-Regulations. The most significant aspect being the need to provide Contact details for Track & Trace. Anyone who has the NHS App will be able to scan themselves in to gain access to the site; other visitors will have to provide contact details, which will be kept in line with the 21-day data requirements.

Buyers / visitors who attend this fund raising event will have the opportunity to search through a varied selection of aviation and avionic items: including books, paintings, prints, DVDs, plastic kits, die-cast models, clothing, radio equipment and aircraft parts. Regular updates / seller’s information are being posted on the news page of the museum website www.newarkairmuseum.org

Buyers / visitors at this event will be able to access the museum site on Saturday 3rd July, 2021 at a special discounted admission price of just £5.00 per person.

The museum opening times will be 09.00 to 17.00 hours; with the sale taking place between 09.00 and 14.00 hours; to get the best bargains we suggest that you get there early.

Further details are available on the Events Page of the museum website www.newarkairmuseum.org or by telephoning 01636 707170.

WALKING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF OUR FORCES

#FootstepsOfOurForces

PUBLIC ASKED TO MARK THIS YEAR’S ARMED FORCES WEEK BY WALKING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF OUR FORCES

• The National Museum of the Royal Navy, National Army Museum, Royal Air Force Museum and Commonwealth War Graves Commission are marking this year’s Armed Forces Week by launching a virtual walking event, In the Footsteps of Our Forces
• The four organisations are appealing to the public to take inspiration from Captain Sir Tom Moore and get active; by participating in a 5,10 or 25K walk around historic sites in their local community, reflecting on the incredible contribution of our service personnel
• Participants can choose their distance and join hundreds of others across the country to walk in honour of those who serve. As a virtual walk they can participate and complete the challenge from anywhere in the world and all will receive a medal for their achievement

The National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN), National Army Museum (NAM), the Royal Air Force Museum (RAFM) and Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) are delighted to announce the launch of a country-wide celebration of our service personnel in conjunction with this years Armed Forces Week (21 – 27 June). All four organisations have come together to host a virtual walk event In the Footsteps of Our Forces, and are appealing to the public to reflect on and celebrate the role of our Armed Forces today and in the past.

The virtual walk will kick off on Monday 21 June, Armed Forces Week, and will end on Sunday 4 July. The public will have two weeks to complete their chosen distance of either 5, 15 or 25K. They will also be able to download one of the suggested routes which will take then around museums, war graves, memorials, historical sites and places of remembrance. All of those who complete the walk will be awarded a commemorative medal to mark their achievement

Entry for the In the Footsteps of Our Forces walk is £18 and the money will go towards the three museums, and the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation (CWGF), which are all registered charities. A discounted ticket of £15 is offered for the Armed Forces Community (including veterans, cadets and serving personnel). If five or more friends or family members enter, they will be eligible for a 10% discount on tickets. If a group of 10 or more enter then a 15% discount will apply. Tickets must be purchased in a single transaction, and medals will be posted to one address.

All four charities preserve the history of the Armed Forces and inspire with stories of sacrifice and courage and have seen visitations to their sites severely impacted in the last year. The money raised will support each organisation in helping to continue to tell the stories of those who served and are still serving in the Armed Forces today.

Amongst the suggested routes includes the routes around historic Hendon, the home of the RAF Museum or through the streets of military Chelsea, the home of the National Army Museum. You can explore the historic docks of the Navy in Portsmouth or use the War Graves app to discover the War Graves and memorials on your doorstep.

The four organisations who worked together last year in creating virtual programmes to commemorate the 75th anniversaries of VE and VJ Day and have been nominated for a Museums and Heritage Award for best Partnership and, are excited to working together again.

Dominic Tweddle Director General of the National Museum of the Royal Navy says: “Only last week in Portsmouth alongside Admiral Nelson’s Flagship, HMS Victory, we bid farewell to the Strike Carrier Group as it undertook its deployment. This was the largest concentration of maritime and air power to be deployed from the UK in a generation and demonstrates the scale of the UK’s military commitment still today. It is proof that our role as a museum continues to be connecting the work of our service personnel today, with the experience of those 100, 200 and 300 years ago and we hope that that is something that participants in this walk will reflect on.”

Justin Maciejewski, Director of the National Army Museum says “Last Summer we were all humbled at the incredible efforts of Captain Sir Tom Moore as he celebrated the work of our NHS through a personnel walking challenge. Inspired by this spirit and determination we hope the public will undertake their own walking challenge in support of the heritage organisations that celebrate and commemorate the work of our Army, Navy and Air Force and perhaps pay a visit to Captain Sir Tom’s Portrait now proudly on display in our Chelsea Museum.”

Maggie Appleton, CEO of the Royal Air Force Museum continues: “The pandemic has required us to think again about the way we commemorate important anniversaries and events. Last year’s incredibly successful VE and VJ Day virtual events in collaboration with our partners, has driven us to seek more ways in which we can work together and it is wonderful to be commemorating the work of our three services together with our colleagues at the other service museums and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.”

Claire Horton, Director General of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission says: “We think that this walking challenge is a fantastic opportunity to get people out and exploring the war graves and memorials in their local areas and to connect those with the stories of historic and modern service personnel told at our partner museums. Working together in this way helps us all to illustrate the evocative, inspiring and poignant stories we all seek to highlight throughout our work.”

Defence Minister Baroness Goldie said: “Our Service Museums and the CWGC do vital work in keeping the story of our Armed Forces and their sacrifice alive for future generations. I hope that during this Armed Forces Week, service personnel and members of the public can reflect upon their incredible contribution through this endeavour.”

For further information on how to get involved in In the Footsteps of Our Forces please visit one of the partner websites www.nmrn.org.uk, www.nam.ac.uk, www.rafmuseum.org.uk, www.CWGC.org.

Jack Berry to Visit Newark Air Museum

Jack Berry

On Monday 31st May, 2021 Newark Air Museum is proud to be hosting a visit to its Gateway Aviation Site from young artist Jack Berry, who has recently had a book of his aviation art published by Mention The War Publications. Released earlier this year the book is entitled ‘Flying High In The Sunlit Silence’ and it is being sold to raise funds for various service charities and organisations.

A display of Jack’s paintings is now going to be unveiled in Display Hangar 2 at the museum, in a location close to several of Jack’s favourite aircraft, notably Jetstream XX492 and Sea Harrier ZA176.

To mark this event, Jack’s family have been made honorary members of the museum, which will coincide with Jack taking up a voluntary role as Teenage Artist in Residence at the museum. Building on this role the museum trustees are looking forward to displaying more of Jack’s inspirational aviation art at future museum events.

The Berry family will be at the museum between 11.00am and 3.30pm, where Jack will spend some time in Hangar 2 painting new artworks amongst the museum aircraft and displays that have captured his vivid imagination. Jack will also be available to sign copies of his book and the family have purchased some new sticker inserts that can be added to copies of the book that any visitors may have purchased already. Copies of the book will also be available to purchase on the day.

It is anticipated that Jack will want to explore the wider museum site, so we hope that anyone who visits hoping to see and meet Jack, will respect his desire to go off and explore. Most of Jack’s supporters will understand that he is autistic and opts to remain mute, however Jack conveys his feelings through his creative artworks. The trustees hope that everyone will give Jack the space and time that he needs to enjoy his second visit to Newark Air Museum.

Normal museum admission rates will apply, but if visitors say “We Are Team Jack” when they arrive at the museum admission kiosk, we will give them a fifty pence discount off their admission ticket. It is hoped that some former service personnel may also be visiting and willing to sign relevant pages in Jack’s book for aircraft that they may have served on.

“Towards the end of October 2020, just before the second lockdown I was privileged to host Jack Berry’s first visit to the museum”, commented museum trustee, Howard Heeley, he continued, “I had made contact with Jack through the museum’s Twitter account and on Twitter Jack had been sharing some imaginative aircraft pictures.”

He concluded, “During that first visit I made a connection with Jack and I have been looking forward to Covid regulations lifting so that we can host another visit to the museum. I am looking forward to welcoming our new Teenage Artist in Residence back to the museum.”

www.newarkairmuseum.org

Freedom Fighters: Diverse Identities in the RAF

Freedom Fighters at the RAF Museum

This new RAF Museum workshop explores the lives of African, Caribbean, South Asian and Irish volunteers who served in the RAF despite being opposed to British rule in their home countries.

Speakers will include Sunday Times best-selling author Shrabani Basu and RAF Museum Curator Peter Devitt, and the event will explore and celebrate the stories of key individuals from diverse backgrounds who served in the RAF and connect their experiences to the story of wider participation in the British armed forces during the Second World War.

As well as exploring the diverse nature of those who served in the RAF the panel will also critically examine the motivations of those who fought in the RAF and identify a complexity that is marginalised in British Military History.

The event is moderated by Dr Harry Raffal, who says: “Freedom Fighters takes place within the context of the rapidly evolving debate about Britain’s imperial past, with the issues of slavery, the growth of nationalism and the cultural legacy of empire under close examination. The event is timely as it comes shortly before landmark anniversaries in the histories of Indian, Caribbean and Irish independence.”

Three volunteers will be considered in detail: Noor Inayat Khan from India; Errol Walton Barrow from Barbados; and Irishman Robert Gregory. The speakers will examine their individual motives for joining up, their treatment by British colleagues, and how they reconciled military service to the Crown with their political beliefs. These individual experiences will be set into wider context by two papers considering the experiences of Indian personnel and refugees and émigrés in the RAF during the Second World War.

Our Panel:
• Sunday Times best-selling author Shrabani Basu will speak about Indian SOE agent Noor Inayat Khan GC, executed at Dachau concentration camp on 13 September
1944.

• RAFM Curator Peter Devitt will deliver a paper about Major Robert Gregory MC, immortalised in W.B. Yeats’ ‘An Irish Airman Foresees His Death’ in 1918.

• Early Career Researcher Session (Second World War): Papers will include ‘Flying Officer Errol Walton Barrow: Navigator, Prime Minister’, ‘Indian service in the RAF’,
and ‘Refugees and émigrés at war’.

• Tiegan Byrne, RAFM Access and Learning, will read the Yeats poem and selected quotations from Noor Inayat Khan and Errol Barrow.

• Roundtable discussion of the issues raised by the presentations, moderated by RAFM Historian Dr Harry Raffal.

www.rafmuseum.org

Museum welcomes Stanley Johnson to view his father’s medals

Stanley Johnson at RAF Museum

The RAF Museum, which reopened to the public this week was delighted to host Stanley Johnson, father of the Prime Minister, with his friend Paul Newman (601 Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force) on Wednesday 19 May.

The purpose of Mr Johnson’s visit was to view his father’s medals, which he recently very kindly loaned to the Museum, and which are now on display as part of the RAF 100 exhibition in Hangar 1 of our London site.

Mr Johnson’s father, Flight Lieutenant Wilfred Johnson, served as an RAF Coastal Command pilot from 1942 to 1944. He flew Wellington GR.XIV aircraft on patrols over the Atlantic Ocean and attacked several German submarines. On 17 August 1944, Wilfred returned early from a patrol due to a radio fault. His Wellington then suffered an engine failure shortly before landing. He faced the difficult and dangerous task of flying low at night on one engine, in a heavy aircraft still loaded with high-explosive depth charges. Wilfred dropped these weapons in a safe place, avoiding nearby villages, and returned to RAF Chivenor – but he was seriously injured in a crash-landing on the airfield. Following his selfless action, Wilfred was subsequently awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for ‘skill and coolness in emergencies’ and ‘his hard work, thoroughness and keen sense of duty’ as an RAF pilot. Wilfred’s DFC, along with a congratulatory letter from King George VI and his Medal Group of Four, are now displayed in Hangar 1 at the Museum.

Stanley Johnson, Wilfred’s son, said:
“My sisters and I, as well his eight grandchildren, are absolutely thrilled that the wonderful RAF Museum at Hendon has chosen to display our father’s medals so brilliantly in the new exhibit, including the DFC, and the letter from King George VI. Though my father didn’t talk much about his wartime service or about the crash which ended his flying career, I know that in many ways my father’s years as a pilot with RAF Coastal Command, based at Chivenor, in North Devon, were the high point of his life. The years he spent at Chivenor were pivotal in another way, since after the war Wilfred became a hill-farmer on nearby Exmoor, in a rugged steep-sided valley on the River Exe where, seventy years later, my family and I are still privileged to live!”

Ian Thirsk, Head of Collections and Research, said:
‘It is an absolute privilege to display Wilfred Johnson’s medals at the RAF Museum, Wilfred’s story is an inspirational one which we are both honoured – and delighted – to share with our visitors. Wilfred’s medals will help us to emphasise the largely unsung role of RAF Coastal Command during the Second World War’.

www.rafmuseum.org

RAF Museum welcomes new Head of Collections and Research

Peter Johnston

The RAF Museum is pleased to announce that we have appointed our new Head of Collections and Research: Dr Peter Johnston.

Dr Peter Johnston is a military historian and Museum professional. Most recently he was the Head of Collections Research and Academic Access at the National Army Museum. He joined the Museum in 2014 as the Collections Content Manager, responsible for running the curatorial team working on the new displays, before becoming Head of Collections Development and Review in 2017. He spends the majority of his time conducting research and working with academics and the military. He has acted as an expert and accompanying academic on battlefield tours from Flanders to the Falklands, as well as regularly appearing across media channels. His first book, British Forces in Germany: The Lived Experience, was the authorised history of the British forces in Germany from 1945-2019, and published by Profile Editions in October 2019. He has also published on recruitment propaganda and museum collections.

Peter studied History and Modern History for his Undergraduate and Masters degrees at the University of Durham, and completed his PhD at the University of Kent, focusing on recruitment and culture in the British Armed Forces. He has previously worked as an Assistant Lecturer at the University of Kent, Visiting Lecturer at the University of Westminster, and as a researcher in social policy.

Says Peter: ‘I’m thrilled to be joining the RAF Museum at this exciting time. The Museum has big, ambitious plans and I’m looking forward to getting involved and playing my part in taking these forward. The history of the RAF has shaped not only our country, but our world, and it continues to have a relevance to each and every one of us. It really is a privilege to be a part of. The Museum has a unique, world-class Collection, and a great team, and I cannot wait to get started.’

Peter will officially start at the Museum on Monday 7th June.

www.rafmuseum.org

Yorkshire Air Museum to Re-open Celebrating Aviation as Yorkshire’s Greatest Invention!

Halifax and Oliver

YORKSHIRE AIR MUSEUM RE-OPENS TO THE PUBLIC SATURDAY 22ND MAY.

• OPENING CEREMONY 10:30 AM IN FRONT OF THE MAIN DISPLAY HANGAR.

• NORMANDY VETERANS AND JUNIOR MUSEUM AMBASSADOR WILL UNVEIL NEW AIRCRAFT DISPLAY

• NEW SEASON THEME: “AVIATION: YORKSHIRE’S GREATEST INVENTION”

• MEDIA WELCOME. GATES OPEN 10:0AM.

The Yorkshire Air Museum is reopening to the public on Saturday 22nd May, 115 years to the day after the Wright Brothers were granted a patent for “new and useful improvement in Flying Machines”.

As the Yorkshire Air Museum bursts back to life after long months of forced closure due to the pandemic, a season of celebration of Yorkshire engineering ingenuity and Aviation will start this Saturday.

Taking centre stage within the museum’s enormous aircraft hangar will be the Cayley Glider, the very first manned flying machine, surrounded by a collection of unique aircraft ‘Made in Yorkshire’.

Museum Director Barbara George explains: “This year, we have decided to celebrate Yorkshire aviation. Very few people know that Scarborough born Sir George Cayley designed the very first glider strong enough to carry an adult in 1853. He was a visionary and made history with amazing advance in aviation which earned him the deserved title of ‘Father of aviation’. The Wright Brothers themselves rightfully credited Sir George’s work for inspiring them when they began to experiment with their own glider models in the 1900’s.”

This summer, visitors will be able to see up close life size replicas of the amazing Cayley Glider and Wright Flyer along with iconic Yorkshire designed aircraft, such as the Blackburn Mercury and the Buccaneer as well as museum’s large collection including the museum’s own unique WWII Halifax Mk. III bomber, “Friday the 13th”. The Halifax also has a link with Yorkshire, being named after the most successful Halifax which flew from its Yorkshire base at RAF Lissett near Bridlington.

Much work has been achieved over the past few months to get the museum ready for visitors. With 22 acres of land, large areas of lawn, outdoor and indoor displays, the museum team hope that the safety measures they have put in place combined with the reimagining of the amazing collection on display will encourage many people to visit for the first time.

“We are delighted that D-Day veterans Doug Petty, Sid Metcalfe and Ken Cooke, who all saw action in the sky or on the beaches of Normandy during the D-Day invasion campaign that led to the Liberation of France and Europe, will be with us to celebrate our reopening. They will be joined by 9 year-old Yorkshire Air Museum Ambassador Oliver Vaines. It means a lot to us that we can connect young generations to their heritage. We hope to inspire them by learning about the experience of their ancestors”, comments Ian Richardson, Head of Memorials and Heritage.

Oliver’s passion for history started after his father took him to the museum when he was about 5 years old. “I made it my obligation to make sure he understood the sacrifices made by everyone during the war” his father Darren recounts. “I remember the first time he walked into the hangar and saw the Halifax, he just connected with its presence, the illumination on his face was of epic proportion”. Last year Oliver was inspired by Sir Captain Tom Moore and he started fundraising for the Children’s heart surgery in Leeds. Oliver himself has a rare heart condition. His efforts were rewarded when Sir Tom who sent him a special message to thank him.

The Yorkshire Air Museum was awarded funding last year to help it surmount the covid pandemic via the National Heritage Lottery Funding, through it Emergency Fund, and the Arts Council Recovery Grant. The Funding has been used to conduct essential maintenance and refurbishments, review its long term business plan as well as maintain employment.

The museum’s mission is to Honour, Educate and Inspire.

Normandy Veterans Information.
Douglas Petty (98), flew as Flight Engineer with RCAF 429 Squadron from RAF Leeming. Flew 31 missions, 29 of them in the Handley Page Halifax. Converted to the Lancaster for final operations.

Sid Metcalfe (98). Driver / Mechanic in the Royal Armoured Corps ( Reconnaissance). Captured by Germans and as. POW worked in a copper mine in forced labour. Freed by American Forces.

Ken Cooke (95) Private, Green Howards. Went ashore on Gold Beach on D Day and received serious injury fighting his way into Germany. Repatriated in a Dakota.