NEWS from Duxford

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I am regularly receiving press releases from Duxford. Maybe the news could be interesting for you too, particularly for those who live in the UK.

19 January 2010

Imperial War Museum Duxford commemorates the 70th anniversary of
the Battle of Britain. Imperial War Museum Duxford commemorates the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain with a fascinating range of events in 2010. The Museum celebrates the prominent role played by RAF Duxford in the aerial combat that changed the course of Second World War history.
Duxford and the Battle of Britain

From mid-April to December 2010
AirSpace
Following the popularity of the Duxford Goes to War exhibition in 2009, IWM Duxford presents a new photographic exhibition which portrays life at RAF Duxford during the Battle of Britain. These evocative photographs have captured the men and women who served at RAF Duxford at work and play, giving a unique insight into life at a fighter station during the Second World
War. It also serves as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made during the summer of 1940. The exhibition brings visitors face-to-face with some of the heroic characters who flew from Duxford to win the battle in the skies. There is no need to book in advance and admission to this exhibition is included in the standard admission price to the Museum.

Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and the RAF today - Meet the past, celebrate the present - Saturday 15 May

IWM Duxford commemorates the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain with a special event to celebrate the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and to launch the Flight’s 2010 season. Visitors will be able to see the legendary aircraft of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight on ground display alongside contemporary Royal Air Force aircraft. RAF pilots and personnel will meet and mingle with visitors, who will also have the opportunity to chat with Battle of
Britain veterans. The event will also showcase the diverse roles of the contemporary RAF with a range of ground activities, including performances by the renowned Royal Air Force Musicians, and will culminate with a Sunset Ceremony in honour of all RAF personnel who have made the ultimate sacrifice. This exciting event demonstrates how the camaraderie and bravery of the Battle of Britain pilots continues to inspire the RAF’s contemporary mission. Please note that this event is not an air show. There will be no flying display as part of this event. Tickets for this event will be on sale shortly.

Spring Air Show - Saturday 15 May
Featuring the very best of the RAF, past and present - Sunday 16 May
Following on from the special event on Saturday 15 May, where visitors can mingle with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and the Royal Air Force on the ground, today we take to the skies for some breath-taking aerial action.
See the RAF’s glorious past in flight alongside its sophisticated contemporary aircraft at the Spring Air Show. The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight forms the centre-piece of a thrilling air show, where it shares the skies with historic Second World War aircraft and modern RAF assets. The celebration of the Royal Air Force’s past and present continues on the ground with a range of activities and displays. There will be the opportunity to meet contemporary RAF personnel alongside the ghostly figures of Battle of Britain re-enactors bringing Duxford’s wartime atmosphere vividly to life. Experience past and present in perfect harmony at this spectacular launch to IWM Duxford’s

2010 flying season.
All flying is subject to weather, serviceability and operational commitments.
Tickets for this event can be purchased by telephone or online.

Summer holiday family activities - Friday 23 July to Tuesday 31 August
IWM Duxford’s summer holiday activities bring the Battle of Britain to life with a range of daily sessions for all the family. Activities include creating ‘make-do-and-mend’ peg aircraft, creating notice holders and Spitfire-related items. Families can learn about the aircraft involved in the Battle of Britain, discover what life was like for a fighter pilot and meet a costumed interpreter recreating the role of a Battle of Britain pilot. Visitors can drop in and out of sessions – there is no need to book in advance and all activities are included in the standard admission price.

The Battle of Britain Air Show - Duxford’s role in the supreme aerial conflict Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 September
IWM Duxford presents an evocative commemoration of the aerial battle that proved the strategic turning point in the Second World War. The Battle of Britain Air Show remembers the pilots and aircraft synonymous with this renowned aerial conflict, with a particular focus on the pilots stationed at RAF Duxford who came from across the globe to fight for world freedom. Expect to see squadrons of Battle of Britain aircraft at Europe’s best-preserved Second World War airfield. Tickets for this event can be purchased online or by telephone.

Duxford, Spitfires and the Battle of Britain - Special Interest Lecture Day
Saturday 11 September - 10.30am to 4.30pm - Marshall Auditorium, AirSpace
IWM Duxford’s Department for Learning presents a range of Special Interest Days enabling visitors to dig deeper into specific aspects of military history.
As part of the 2010 series of Special Interest Days, Duxford, Spitfires and the Battle of Britain explores, in greater depth, the momentous events of Britain’s ultimate air campaign and considers RAF Duxford’s role within the Battle of Britain. Carl Warner, Research and Information Manager, Imperial War Museum Duxford, provides an overview of the Battle of Britain. Stephen Woolford MBE, Head of Interpretation and Collections and IWM Duxford, discusses RAF Duxford’s specific role within the aerial conflict. Howard Cook, pilot for Historic Aircraft Collection, waxes lyrical about the thrill of restoring and flying a vintage Spitfire. A stalwart feature at IWM Duxford’s air shows, Howard has piloted all Historic Aircraft Collection aircraft, is an Honorary Commander of the 493rd Fighter Squadron, US Air Force, and also flies for Vintage Wings of Canada. To conclude this fascinating day, James Nicolson tells the amazing story of his uncle Eric James Brindley Nicolson VC. Flight Lieutenant Nicolson was the only Battle of Britain pilot, and indeed the only RAF fighter pilot, to be awarded the Victoria Cross during the Second World War. His inspirational story is truly incredible and marks him as a revered member of ‘the Few’. Don’t miss this opportunity to explore the Battle of Britain – its historical context, heroic pilots and iconic aircraft. Further information on all events outlined above, together with additional activities
commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, will be issued in due course.

For further information on all events and activities at Imperial War Museum Duxford, sign up for our regular eflyer -
http://www.patronmailuk.com/bnmailweb/PatronSetup?oid=109

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Some hystory notes - courtesy of Esther Blaine from IWM Duxford Press Office:

RAF Duxford - Battle of Britain History
RAF Duxford forms a central part of the history of the Battle of Britain.
RAF Fighter Command was divided into groups. 11 Group operated from South East England. 12 Group covered the area further north. Duxford controlled a sector of 12 Group’s area. By the summer of 1938, the reputation of No 19 Squadron, based at RAF Duxford, was such that it became the first RAF Squadron to re-equip with the new Supermarine Spitfire. The first Spitfire was flown into Duxford in August 1938 by Jeffrey Quill, Supermarine’s test pilot. In February 1940, Flying Officer Douglas Bader was posted to No.19 Squadron. Bader is the most famous of a number of Fighter Command heroes who flew from Duxford. Bader found himself on familiar territory, as he left the RAF from Duxford in April 1933, retiring on medical grounds and entering civilian life – if he couldn’t fly, he didn’t want to remain in the RAF. As Bader said, “The fact that I left the Royal Air Force at Duxford and I came back into it at Duxford, through the same bloody gate, is what comes to mind.”
By June 1940, with Belgium, Holland and France having fallen to the German forces, and theconquest of Britain being their next objective, Duxford was placed in a high state of readiness. Duxford’s first Hurricanes arrived in July 1940 with the formation of No.310 Squadron, made up of Czechoslovakian pilots who had escaped from France. At the end of August 1940, Air-Vice Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory ordered the Hurricanes of 242 Squadron, now commanded by Douglas Bader, down from Coltishall, to join 19 and 310 Squadrons on daily standby at Duxford. As the Battle progressed, 12 Group was instructed to protect 11 Group’s airfields during attacks. Air Vice Marshal Leigh-Mallory, Commander of 12 Group, was frustrated by this supporting role. He thought that the Duxford-based pilots could be more successful if they joined the Battle in ‘Wings’ of three or more squadrons.
Air Vice Marshal Park, Commander of 11 Group, had experimented with Wings. During the Battle, he found that grouping more than two squadrons together was slow and risky. However, Leigh-Mallory was impressed with the performance of 19 and 310 Squadrons and authorised Bader to lead 242, 19 and 310 Squadrons, operating together as a Wing. On 9 September 1940, the Duxford Squadrons successfully intercepted and turned back a large force of German bombers before they reached their target. On the strength of this, two more squadrons were added to the Wing. No 302 (Polish squadron) with Hurricanes, and the Spitfires of No.611 Auxiliary Squadron, which had been mobilised at Duxford a year before. Every day, some sixty Spitfires and Hurricanes were dispersed around Duxford and Fowlmere.
Bader’s ‘Big Wing’, now known more formally as 12 Group Wing, was ready for action by 15 September 1940, which became known as ‘Battle of Britain Day’. On this historic day, they twice took to the air to repulse Luftwaffe attacks aimed at London. Sometimes they met with success, but sometimes they failed to support 11 Group in time, leaving its airfields open to attack. Even at the height of the Battle, this caused tension between Leigh-Mallory and Park, who was supported by Air Chief Marshal Dowding, Commander-in-Chief of Fighter Command. This controversy continued after the Battle when Dowding was replaced and Leigh-Mallory stepped into Park’s job. Overall, RAF Fighter Command was successful, the threat of invasion was passed and Duxford’s squadrons had played a vital role in the victory. Imperial War Museum London remembers the Battle of Britain In addition to Imperial War Museum Duxford’s programme of activities, Imperial War Museum London and Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms will also commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain:

Battle of Britain Veterans Reunion - Imperial War Museum London - Thursday 1 July - Imperial War Museum London will reunite a number of Battle of Britain veterans, including members of the Battle of Britain Fighter Association, beneath the Museum’s Spitfire Mk1 which hangs from pride of place in the atrium.

Commemoration and re-enactment of Churchill’s ‘The Few’ Speech - Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms - Friday 20 August
The Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms will commemorate Churchill’s famous ‘The Few’ speech on Friday 20 August with a reading of those famous words, timed to dovetail with a Battle of Britain Memorial Flight flypast over Whitehall on the same afternoon. An excerpt from Churchill’s famous speech, "Never has so much been owed by so many to so few’, will be delivered from the plaza outside the Cabinet War Rooms. At precisely 15:32 pm, a fly-past over Whitehall of a Spitfire and Hurricane will follow the delivery of the speech which marks the 70th anniversary from the time it was delivered by Churchill. Members of the public will be encouraged to explore the historic rooms and museum where a team of reenactors will stage an interactive display designed to show how an RAF operations room plotting table would have been operated during the Battle of Britain.

DUXFORD MUSEUM
Established at the end of the First World War to train the newly formed RAF’s pilots, Imperial War Museum Duxford is Europe’s premier aviation museum, with many original period buildings such as the Control Tower and hangars still in use, alongside state-of-theart, award-winning exhibition buildings including AirSpace and the American Air Museum. Two hundred aircraft are on display, whilst over 50 historic flying aircraft, based at the airfield, regularly take to the sky. Duxford also has one of the finest collections of tanks, military vehicles and artillery in the UK.

Imperial War Museum Duxford
Cambridgeshire CB22 4QR
Open Daily:
10.00am – 4.00pm Sunday 25 October 2009 – Friday 12 March 2010
(except 24, 25 and 26 December)
10.00am – 6.00pm Saturday 13 March – Saturday 23 October 2010