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Imperial War Museum Duxford

August 2021 - April 2024
IWM Duxford is a branch of the Imperial War Museum and is the largest aviation museum in the UK; this trip covers visits to the hangsrs and exhibition halls on the site.. Read more
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  • TravelerImperial War Museum Duxford
    Day 1

    Introduction to IWM Duxford

    August 10, 2021 in England ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Based at the historic Duxford Aerodrome, the IWM Duxford site was originally operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the First World War. During the Second World War Duxford played a prominent role during the Battle of Britain and was later used by United States Army Air Forces fighter units in support of the daylight bombing of Germany. Duxford remained an active RAF airfield until 1961.

    After the Ministry of Defence declared the site surplus to requirements in 1969, the Imperial War Museum received permission to use part of the site for storage. The entirety of the site was transferred to the Imperial War Museum in 1976.

    In keeping with the site's history many of Duxford's original buildings, such as hangars used during the Battle of Britain, are still in use as exhibition halls for aircraft. The site also features several purpose-built exhibition buildings, such as the American Air Museum.  

    Over the years we have lived in Duxford, there have been many air shows with all sorts of aircraft flying over the house; before the Shoreham air disaster, it was possible to view the air shows directly from a nearby road that passes over the M11.    Read more

  • TravelerImperial War Museum Duxford
    Day 46

    Historic RAF Duxford Trail

    September 24, 2021 in England ⋅ ⛅ 5 °C

    During the Second World War, RAF Duxford played a prominent role in Britain’s air defence including the Battle of Britain in 1940, when its squadrons took to the air to repulse Luftwaffe attacks aimed at London; it was twinned with nearby RAF Fowlmere.

    The original main entrance to the site was through the gate next to the RAF Duxford Station Offices (now the staff entrance).  Behind this was the Operations Block; the Operations Room here was the nerve centre of Duxford's Battle of Britain contributions and there is an excellent exhibition and film here describing a critical day in this campaign.

    From here, behind a hangar now used as the Battle of Britain Hall, you pass the original buildings used for training pilots. A little further is an original and complete Uni-Seco prefabricated bungalow that was relocated to the museum from south east London (SE15).

    Back to the airstrip and doubling back to another original hangar, now used to house the Air and Sea Exhibition, is the original Watch Office; this was, built in 1918 and is now used as a small exhibition hall that tells Duxford's story through the eyes of the men and women who worked there.

    A new Control Tower, built in 1941, now fulfils the functions of both Watch and Control.    Read more

  • TravelerImperial War Museum Duxford
    Day 53

    American Air Museum

    October 1, 2021 in England ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    The American Air Museum was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1997 and was updated in 2014.  It tells the story of American air power and its effect on the 20th century, focusing largely on World War II in Europe; this is appropriate as Duxford was known as Base 357, the headquarters of the U.S. 78th Fighter Group, and home of P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs; these aeroplanes acted as fighter escorts on the large US bombing raids over Europe and Germany.  The 78th provided air cover for the Allied invasion fleet on D-Day and shot down the first German Me-262 jet aircraft.

    The American Air Museum houses some of the USA’s most famous warbirds and bombers dating from World War I to the modern day including a B-17G Flying Fortress, a B-29 Superfortress named "It's Hawg Wild" and a B-52 Stratofortress.  It is a really interesting hall to visit.    Read more

  • TravelerImperial War Museum Duxford
    Day 88

    Land Warfare Hall

    November 5, 2021 in England ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C

    The Land Warfare Hall was opened in 1992 by Field Marshal Lord Bramall and houses the Museum's collection of armoured vehicles, artillery and military vehicles to tell the story of the mechanisation of warfare.  Walking among these was a good experience.  The collection includes the three command vehicles used by Field Marshal "Monty" Montgomery, used during the Second World War in North West Europe; he was always close to the frontline and they became his office, bedroom and map room, respectively. There is an excellent film to watch called "The Normandy Experience" that describes what D-Day was like.
     
    The Land Warfare Hall also houses the Forgotten War exhibition, opened in 1999 as a joint project between the Imperial War Museum and the Burma Star Association, to represent veterans of the Burma campaign who often consider themselves to have fought in a "Forgotten Army" compared to those who fought in Europe.  There is also a display dedicated to Captain Sir Tom Moore, who served in Burma.

    The Hall also accommodates the Royal Anglian Regiment Museum; formed in 1964 by the amalgamation of the three regiments of the East Anglian Brigade and the Royal Leicestershire Regiment, it covers the history of the Regiment and its predecessors, which date back to the seventeenth century, up to recent operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Sierra Leone. In 2010, a Royal Anglian Regiment memorial was dedicated at IWM Duxford, just outside the Land Warfare Hall.    Read more

  • TravelerImperial War Museum Duxford
    Day 95

    AirSpace

    November 12, 2021 in England ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    The original Hangar 1 was upgraded to a 'Superhangar' in the 1980s and then redeveloped and expanded to bring the museum's British and Commonwealth aircraft collection under cover.  It was opened in July 2008, providing 12,000 m2 of floor space, consisting of an aircraft conservation area, a large exhibition hall, and a mezzanine providing views of the aircraft; over 30 aircraft are on display, dating back to the First World War.

    The collection has some of the most famous aircraft in the world, featuring the Concorde (built to fly at the speed of sound), an Avro Lancaster (one of the most recognised allied bombers of the Second World War, famous for its role in the Dambusters raid), an Avro Vulcan and an Airco DH.9 (one of only six surviving DH9s and the only example on display in the UK).  More recent notable aircraft include a Hawker Siddeley Harrier (which served during the Falklands War), a Panavia Tornado (which flew the highest number of bomber sorties of any Tornado in the 1991 Gulf War) and a Eurofighter Typhoon DA4.

    AirSpace also houses Airborne Assault, the museum of the British Army's Parachute Regiment and airborne forces; the museum chronicles the history of British airborne forces from the Second World War to current operations in Afghanistan.  

    It was great to see all these iconic aircraft, go inside the Concorde and to learn about the Parachute Regiment.    Read more

  • TravelerImperial War Museum Duxford
    Day 95

    Hangar 4; Battle of Britain

    November 12, 2021 in England ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Hangar 4 is an original General Service Aircraft Shed - these are also known as Belfast Truss hangars because of their distinctive lattice Belfast Truss roofs - and now houses an exhibition that tells the story of the Second World War aerial campaign from the defeat of France through to the end of the Battle of Britian in late October 1940.  It also explores Duxford's history as an operational RAF airfield from the First World War to the Cold War.

    Britain's air defence during the Second World War is particularly emphasised; the Spitfire and Hurricane flown by "the few" are present, as well as a Messerschmitt Bf 109 which was flown during the Battle of Britain until forced down in Sussex due to engine failure - there are also anti-aircraft guns on display and both the Blitz and the V-1 flying bomb offensive are described.

    At the back of the hall, the Cold War period is represented by a Hawker Hunter which flew at Duxford with No. 65 Squadron RAF and by a Hungarian Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21, a common Warsaw Pact jet fighter, as well as several other aircraft.

    A fascinating visit; it was also interesting to see a party of school children being shown round by guides - I eavesdropped on one who was relating his childhood during a bombing raid at home in London and his subsequent evacuation to the Cambridge area!    Read more

  • TravelerImperial War Museum Duxford
    Day 102

    Hangar 2; Flying Aircraft

    November 19, 2021 in England ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    Hangar 2 is where IWM flying partners use their own teams of engineers in special restoration workshops to restore, maintain and prepare privately-owned historic aircraft for flight; the museum's aircraft do not fly and are conserved to prevent future deterioration whereas the act of restoration is returning the aircraft to a complete, historically accurate flying condition using original parts where possible.  

    All the aircraft in this hangar are used in air shows etc; in fact, the Sally B was used in the 1990 film Memphis Belle as one of five flying B-17s needed for various film scenes, and it was used to replicate the real Memphis Belle in one scene.    Read more

  • TravelerImperial War Museum Duxford
    Day 102

    Hangar 3; Air and Sea

    November 19, 2021 in England ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    Hangar 3 is an original General Service Aircraft Shed - these are also known as Belfast Truss hangars because of their distinctive latticed Belfast Truss roofs - and now houses IWM Duxford's maritime collection of naval aircraft and boats dating from the First World War, the Second World War, helicopters from the 1950s and aircraft that served in the Falklands War.

    There are many notable aircraft here, including the de Havilland DH.9 bomber from WWI, the cockpit of the A6M Zero - the most successful Japanese fighter aircraft type of the Second World War and the aircraft that would have flown against it in operations - the Grumman TBM-3 Avenger, as well as the de Havilland Sea Vixen and Hawker Sea Hunter (both with folding wings).  This impressive hangar is also home to the B43 "Ole Bill" double-deck, open-top London bus; built by AEC in 1911, it was used as troop transport in WW1, with capacity for carrying 24 fully equipped infantrymen and their kit.  There are also midget submarines and torpedoes on display!    Read more

  • TravelerImperial War Museum Duxford
    Day 102

    Hangar 5; Conservation in Action

    November 19, 2021 in England ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    Hangar 5 is where a team of staff and volunteers work to preserve IWM Duxford's aircraft and large objects; the Conservation in Action team also look after art, artefacts, archives, photography, film, books and sound recordings.  Whereas the restored aircraft in Hangar 2 are used for flying, the aircraft and objects in this hangar are maintained in their current state to prevent further deterioration.

    The Handley Page Victor here is the only aircraft of its type left in the world; originally a bomber when first flown in 1959, it was upgraded to an air-to-air refuelling tanker in 1965 before being retired and flying into Duxford in 1976.  The FMA Pucara here is an Argentine ground-attack aircraft that was deployed during the invasion of the Falklands in 1982; this aircraft was one of those captured.  The Avro Shackleton here was built in 1955 and lost in a crash in the Peak District during operational tests in 1956 when all on board were killed.  The Eurofighter Typhoon here first flew in 1997, but was decommissioned in 2006 and was moved to Duxford in 2009.  The Heinkel Salamander HE162 here is a single-seat jet fighter built in 1945, one of only 7 left in the world.  The Oberursel UR-2 rotary engine on display was actually used in one of the Fokker aircraft flown by Manfred von Richthofen (the Red Baron) in WWI.

    Another really interesting visit to IWM Duxford; there is so much to see here.    Read more

  • TravelerImperial War Museum Duxford
    Day 151

    Spitfire: Evolution of an Icon

    January 7, 2022 in England ⋅ ⛅ 3 °C

    With twelve Spitfires going on display at the aircraft's "home", another visit to IWM Duxford had to be done; this exhibition, running from 27 Dec 2021 to 20 Feb 2022 in the AirSpace super hangar, traces the plane's development at the base where an RAF squadron received the first operational aircraft in 1938. It is thought to be the largest number assembled under one roof in the 21st century.

    Characterised by its graceful curves, elliptical wings and the sound of its powerful Rolls Royce engine, the Spitfire has become an icon of British air history; it was active in the Battle of Britain (1940) and also in North Africa, Italy and elsewhere in Europe during the 1939-1945 conflict. The aeroplane developed over this period, with changes to the Rolls Royce Merlin engine to make it bigger and more powerful leading to modifications of the aircraft design. For example: the nose was enlarged, the tail and propellers had to be changed because of the power that the newer engines produced and new wings were developed to hold more powerful armaments (originally eight machine guns, from Mark II onwards the wings were changed and heavier cannon introduced, with it eventually being able to carry bombs).

    It was extremely interesting to see these changes over time close up.    Read more

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