165-679: Imperial War Museum Duxford is a branch of the Imperial War Museum near Duxford in Cambridgeshire , England. Britain's largest aviation museum , Duxford houses the museum's large exhibits, including nearly 200 aircraft , military vehicles, artillery and minor naval vessels in seven main exhibition buildings. The site also provides storage space for the museum's other collections of material such as film, photographs, documents, books and artefacts. The site accommodates several British Army regimental museums, including those of
330-550: A 6-inch triple turret that would be representative of a number of classes of British cruisers . This would eventually lead to the preservation of the Royal Navy light cruiser HMS Belfast , which became a branch of the museum in 1978. Later in 1968 on 13 October the museum was attacked by an arsonist , Timothy John Daly, who claimed he was acting in protest against the exhibition of militarism to children. He caused damage valued at approximately £200,000, not counting
495-800: A Burmese village. The exhibition was supported financially by the Burma Star Association and by £126,000 from the National Heritage Memorial Fund . The Land Warfare Hall also accommodates the Royal Anglian Regiment Museum. The Royal Anglian Regiment was formed in 1964 by the amalgamation of the three regiments of the East Anglian Brigade and the Royal Leicestershire Regiment . The museum
660-713: A C-47 Skytrain which flew with the 316th Troop Carrier Group and participated in three major Second World War airborne operations; the June 1944 Normandy landings , Operation Market Garden and Operation Varsity , the airborne crossing of the River Rhine in March 1945. The museum's B-29 flew during the Korean War as part of the 7th Bomb Wing ; it is the only example in Europe and one of only two preserved in museums outside
825-714: 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 ), as well a piece of the towers; 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
990-518: A Hawker Siddeley Harrier which served during the Falklands War with No. 1 Squadron RAF , and a Panavia Tornado , which flew the highest number of bomber sorties of any Tornado in the 1991 Gulf War . Also on display is a British Aircraft Corporation TSR-2 strike aircraft, one of only two survivors from the cancellation of the project in 1965. Recent additions include Eurofighter Typhoon DA4, one of seven Typhoon development aircraft, which
1155-546: 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. The museum's library is a national reference collection on modern conflict, and holds works on all aspects of warfare, including regimental or unit histories (such as 789 rare German unit histories from
1320-756: A Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter acquired from an American owner in 'jungle recovery' condition, and a Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 now on display in AirSpace. Duxford is a partner with the British Aviation Preservation Council in the National Aviation Heritage Skills Initiative, which has been funded since 2005 by the Heritage Lottery Fund and aims to provide training to volunteers supporting aviation heritage projects. It
1485-534: A branch of the Imperial War Museum on 1 March 1978, being acknowledged by the then Secretary of State for Education and Science , Shirley Williams , as "a unique demonstration of an important phase of our history and technology". In service for 24 years HMS Belfast was in Frankland's opinion, capable of representing "a whole generation of [historical evidence]". In 2017, the name of the exhibit
1650-558: 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
1815-773: A commemoration of the role of American air power in the Second World War . A group of American supporters was formed, and the architect Norman Foster was commissioned to design a new building. Fundraising for the project began in 1987, support and funds being sought in the United States; the Founding Member was General Jimmy Doolittle in 1989. Fundraising events were held across the US in Houston (1989), Washington, D.C. , (1991) and Los Angeles (1992). The project
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#17327660063251980-621: A common Warsaw Pact jet fighter. Britain's air defence during the Second World War is particularly emphasised, with exhibits representing the Battle of Britain, the Blitz and the V-1 flying bomb offensive from 1944. Notable aircraft include a Messerschmitt Bf 109 E which was flown during the Battle of Britain until forced down in Sussex due to engine failure. It is displayed as part of a tableau showing
2145-558: A concrete runway with a length of 1,503 m (4,931 ft), both oriented at 060/240-degrees. The runway was originally purchased from the Ministry of Defence by the Cambridgeshire County Council in 1977. In October 2008, an agreement was reached between the council and the Imperial War Museum, under which the runways and 146 acres (0.59 km; 0.228 sq mi) of surrounding grassland would be sold to
2310-728: A cost of £5 million. Two years later, in July 2002, Imperial War Museum North was opened. Between 2004 and 2010 the museum was a partner in a national learning project entitled "Their Past Your Future" (TPYF), part of the Big Lottery Fund 's Veterans Reunited programme to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. A partnership between the IWM, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council , and Scottish, Northern Irish and Welsh museum authorities, phase one included
2475-402: A distinguishing dome, and two great wings added to it for the accommodation of lunatics no longer required. This particular building can be made to contain our collection admirably, and we shall preserve from destruction quite a fine building which otherwise will disappear". The "distinguishing dome" was added by Sydney Smirke in 1846 and housed the hospital's chapel. The museum was reopened by
2640-530: A further 254,000 items of reference material. The museum's Sound Archive holds 33,000 sound recordings, including a large collection of oral history recordings of witnesses to conflicts since 1914. The museum's sound collection originated in 1972 with the creation of the Department of Sound Records and the instigation of an oral history recording programme. The sound collection opened to the public in July 1977. The collection also includes recordings made by
2805-458: A further wing opened in 1949. In 1953, with Commonwealth forces engaged in Korea and Malaya the museum began its current policy of collecting material from all modern conflicts in which British or Commonwealth forces were involved. Despite this expansion of remit, the early postwar period was a period of decline for the museum. Noble Frankland , the museum's director from 1960 to 1982, described
2970-420: A landmark building that would provide a neutral backdrop for the aircraft collection and provide appropriate climatic controls while being cost efficient to operate. The building is shaped as a section of a torus , formed from a curved concrete roof 90 m (300 ft) wide, 18.5 m (61 ft) high and 100 m (330 ft) deep. The dimensions of the building were dictated by the need to accommodate
3135-410: A large art collection, and examples of military vehicles and aircraft, equipment, and other artefacts. The museum is funded by government grants, charitable donations, and revenue generation through commercial activity such as retailing, licensing, and publishing. General admission is free to IWM London (although specific exhibitions require the purchase of a ticket) and IWM North, but an admission fee
3300-545: A mezzanine floor level with the cockpit of the museum's B-52, while the lack of supporting columns allows aircraft to hang from the ceiling. Heavier aircraft stand on the floor of the building, which covers 6,500 m (70,000 sq ft). Construction began with the building of abutments in October 1995 and the roof was completed in September 1996. The building won the 1998 Stirling Prize for Foster and Partners and
3465-515: A pair of 15-inch naval guns . One had been mounted on the Royal Navy 's HMS Ramillies and the other on both HMS Resolution and HMS Roberts . Both had been fired in action during the Second World War. They went on permanent display outside the museum in May 1968. The acquisition of these guns, representative of the dreadnought era of British battleships , led the museum to seek to acquire
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#17327660063253630-556: A permanent gallery, Secret War , exploring special forces , espionage and covert operations . The second floor included the atrium viewing balcony, two art galleries, a temporary exhibition area and the permanent Crimes against Humanity exhibition. The third floor housed the permanent Holocaust Exhibition , and the fourth floor, a vaulted roof space, accommodated the Lord Ashcroft Gallery. Opened in November 2010
3795-551: A pre-production aircraft which achieved the highest speed of any Concorde, making a westwards trans-Atlantic flight in two hours, 56 minutes. In support of the Museum's goals, the DAS Military Vehicle Wing provides one of the world's leading teams of military vehicle restoration engineers The Wing (or its volunteers) own some of the vehicles located at Duxford, and provide restoration services for vehicles within
3960-585: A prestigious area for museums, the accommodation itself proved cramped and inadequate and in 1936 a new permanent location was found south of the River Thames in Southwark. The building, designed by James Lewis was the former Bethlem Royal Hospital which had been vacated following the hospital's relocation to Beckenham in Kent. The site was owned by Lord Rothermere , who had originally intended to demolish
4125-485: A programme of temporary exhibitions, mounted in a separate gallery. The Imperial War Museum's original collections date back to the material amassed by the National War Museum Committee. The present departmental organisation came into being during the 1960s as part of Frankland's reorganisation of the museum. The 1970s saw oral history gain increasing prominence and in 1972 the museum created
4290-534: A reduction in the runway's 1,500 m (4,900 ft) declared length, from 1,350 m (4,430 ft) to 1,200 m (3,900 ft), in order to provide a greater margin of error. As a licensed airfield Duxford has its own Fire Service (currently five vehicles, and 16 fire fighters / officers) which operates as part of the Airfield & Security department, the fire service was originally operated by voluntary crews who were part of Duxford Aviation Society, with
4455-591: A site near the village of Duxford, in southern Cambridgeshire, was selected for a new Royal Flying Corps training aerodrome. From 1925 Duxford became a fighter airfield, a role it was to retain until the end of its operational life, and in August 1938 the Duxford-based No.19 Squadron RAF became the first to operate the Supermarine Spitfire . With the outbreak of war in September 1939 Duxford
4620-442: A touring exhibition seen by more than two million people, overseas educational visits and further activities run by local authorities. A second phase took a wider 20th century historical remit; it comprised a learning programme using overseas visits and social media , and a professional development scheme for educators. A digital archive of the project, online exhibitions and learning resources were also produced. In October 2011
4785-621: A valuable source of revenue, and complemented the efforts of volunteers, so that the museum applied for the permanent transfer of the entire site to its use. Permission was received in February 1976 and Duxford became the first outstation of the Imperial War Museum. Initially open from March–October, Duxford received 167,000 visitors in the 1977 season, and 340,000 in 1978. Two million visitors had been received by 1982 and Duxford welcomed its ten millionth visitor in August 2005. Duxford has been associated with British military aviation since 1917, when
4950-662: Is a British national museum . It is headquartered in London, with five branches in England. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, it was intended to record the civil and military war effort and sacrifice of the United Kingdom and its Empire during the First World War . The museum's remit has since expanded to include all conflicts in which British or Commonwealth forces have been involved since 1914. As of 2012,
5115-419: Is able to support suspended aircraft weighing up to 10 tonnes (9.8 long tons; 11 short tons). A glass wall, demountable to permit aircraft to be rearranged, allows in daylight, thereby reducing lighting costs and enabling the aircraft to be seen from outside the building. It also allows visitors inside the museum to watch aircraft landing or taking off. From a visitor's perspective, the pedestrian entrance leads to
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5280-480: Is currently working on the cockpits of a Handley Page Victor (XH669) and a Vickers Valiant (XD826). From the late 1970s the museum acquired several important American aircraft; a B-17G Flying Fortress in 1978, a B-29 Superfortress named It's Hawg Wild in 1980 and a B-52 Stratofortress in 1983. With Duxford's association with the US Army Air Forces (USAAF), in the mid-1980s plans developed for
5445-517: Is inscribed with the names of 78 soldiers killed since 1958 (when the first of the three East Anglian regiments was formed) in conflicts including Afghanistan, Iraq, Northern Ireland and Aden . The dedication was attended by more than 5,000 people. In addition to the exhibition buildings, Duxford's 'North Side', the area of the site north of the A505 road, provides storage for the Imperial War Museum's collecting departments . The stored collections include
5610-540: Is levied at the other branches. The museum is an exempt charity under the Charities Act 1993 and a non-departmental public body under the Department for Culture, Media and Sport . As of April 2024, the chairman of the trustees is Guy Weston . Since May 2023, Caro Howell has served as the museum's director-general On 27 February 1917 Sir Alfred Mond , a Liberal MP and First Commissioner of Works, wrote to
5775-487: Is now largely occupied by corporate offices. The 1966 extension houses the library, art store, and document archives while the 1980s redevelopments created exhibition space over five floors. The first stage created 8,000 m of gallery space of which 4,600 m was new, and the second provided a further 1,600 m . The final phase, the Southwest Infill, was partly funded by a £12.6 million grant from
5940-405: Is occupied by the Imperial War Museum's stored collections and is not generally open to the public, while the south side is occupied by various hangars and other historic buildings, purpose-built structures, and by two runways. The south side visitor entrance, which now houses a shop and visitor facilities, was previously the airfield's armoury. The various buildings are arranged roughly parallel to
6105-482: Is operated in partnership between the Imperial War Museum, Cambridgeshire County Council and the Duxford Aviation Society. The Society is a registered charity (No. 285809) and states two objectives; to educate the public by collecting and exhibiting historic aircraft, military vehicles and boats, and to support the Imperial War Museum. The Society was formed in 1975 from a divergence of members of
6270-493: Is operated in partnership with Cambridgeshire County Council and the Duxford Aviation Society, a charity formed in 1975 to preserve civil aircraft and promote appreciation of British civil aviation history. HMS Belfast , a Town class cruiser , was launched in 1938 and served throughout the Second World War , participating in the December 1943 Battle of North Cape and firing some of the first shots of Operation Overlord ,
6435-480: Is used by civilian flying companies, and hosts regular air shows . The site is operated in partnership with Cambridgeshire County Council and the Duxford Aviation Society, a charity formed in 1975 to preserve civil aircraft and promote appreciation of British civil aviation history. The Imperial War Museum originated during the First World War in 1917 as the National War Museum committee, formed by
6600-597: The 2021 Cambridgeshire County Council election a joint administration formed comprising the Liberal Democrats , Labour , and independent councillors. Political control of the county council since the reforms of the Local Government Act 1972 took effect on 1 April 1974 has been as follows: The leaders of the council since 1997 have been: Following the 2021 election and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to March 2024,
6765-454: The BBC during the Second World War, actuality sound effects, broadcasts, speeches and poetry. As part of the museum's First World War centenary programme, the museum is producing Voices of the First World War , a podcast series drawing upon the museum's oral history recordings. In 2012 the museum reported the size of its sound collection as 37,000 hours. The IWM has an online database, listing
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6930-781: The Baltic campaign of 1918–19 , and her commander Lieutenant Augustus Agar won the Victoria Cross for sinking the Russian cruiser Oleg on 17 June 1919. Other vessels include the Vosper motor torpedo boat MTB-71, acquired from the British Military Powerboat Trust in 2005, an example of an X-Craft midget submarine , and a wartime Royal National Lifeboat Institution boat, the Jesse Lumb which
7095-571: The City of Peterborough . The county council consists of 61 councillors, representing 59 electoral divisions. The council is based at New Shire Hall in Alconbury Weald , near Huntingdon . It is part of the East of England Local Government Association and a constituent member of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority . Since May 2021, it has been run by a joint administration of
7260-598: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). In 2002 a privately operated Aero L-39 Albatros suffered a braking failure on landing, overran the runway and came to rest on the M11 motorway, a student pilot being killed after ejecting at ground level. An Air Accidents Investigation Branch inquiry recommended a review of arrangements for aircraft taking off or landing towards the M11. As a result, the CAA and Duxford agreed to
7425-724: The Falklands War , British peacekeeping contributions in Bosnia and the Gulf War . As many of the vehicles in the Land Warfare Hall are maintained in running condition, the site features garages and a running area behind the building. Various diorama are exhibited, including of the Battle of the Tennis Court . The Land Warfare Hall also houses the Forgotten War exhibition, which opened on 25 March 1999 and
7590-556: The Heritage Lottery Fund and provided 5,860m of gallery space and educational facilities over six floors. Before the 2013–14 redevelopment, the basement was occupied by permanent galleries on the First and Second World Wars, and of conflicts after 1945. The ground floor comprised the atrium, cinema, temporary exhibition spaces, and visitor facilities. The first floor included the atrium mezzanine, education facilities, and
7755-543: The Liberal Democrats , Labour Party , and independent groups. Cambridgeshire County Council was first formed in 1889 as a result of the Local Government Act 1888 as one of two county councils covering Cambridgeshire; the other was the Isle of Ely County Council . In 1965, the two councils were merged to form Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely County Council . This arrangement lasted until 1974, when, following
7920-531: The Local Government Act 1972 , Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely were merged with Huntingdon and Peterborough to form a new non-metropolitan county of Cambridgeshire under the control of a newly constituted Cambridgeshire County Council. The first elections to the new authority were in April 1973 , and the council took office on 1 April 1974. From its re-creation in 1974 until 1998, the county council administered
8085-690: The Parachute Regiment (named Airborne Assault ) and the Royal Anglian Regiment . Based on the historic Duxford Aerodrome , the site was originally operated by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) 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
8250-527: The Parachute Regiment and the Royal Anglian Regiment . Based on the historic Duxford Aerodrome , the 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. Many of Duxford's original buildings, such as hangars used during
8415-416: The Petroleum Warfare Department . These included the submarine fuel pipeline PLUTO , the fog dispersal method FIDO , and flame weapons such as the Churchill Crocodile and Wasp Universal Carrier . Due to bomb damage to the building and exhibits, the museum was obliged to reopen its galleries piecemeal and opened a portion of its galleries in November 1946. A third of the galleries were opened in 1948 and
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#17327660063258580-498: The Second World War saw the museum expand both its collections and its terms of reference, but in the post-war period it entered a period of decline. In 1976 the museum opened IWM Duxford at Duxford airfield in Cambridgeshire , and in 1978 the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Belfast , which is permanently berthed on the River Thames in central London, became a branch of the museum. In 1984, Churchill War Rooms , an underground wartime command centre in Westminster , were opened to
8745-422: The United Nations UNTV service in Bosnia. As an official repository under the 1958 Public Records Act, the archive continues to receive material from the Ministry of Defence. The archive also seeks to acquire amateur film taken by both service personnel and civilian cameramen. Material from the collection was used in the production of TV documentary series such as The Great War and The World at War . In 2012
8910-407: The Visual Arts Data Service (VADS), and Google Art Project . In 2012 the museum reported the total size of its art collection as 84,980 items. The museum's Film and Video Archive is one of the oldest film archives in the world. The archive preserves a range of historically significant film and video material, including the official British film record of the First World War . Notable among
9075-413: The chapel beneath. The building also featured a theatre in a building to the rear of the site. The building remained substantially unchanged until vacated by the hospital in 1930. After the freehold was purchased by Lord Rothermere , the wings were demolished to leave the original central portion (with the dome now appearing disproportionately tall) and Smirke's later wings. When the museum moved into
9240-481: The conflict's centenary in 2014, and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge became the foundation's patron. In a speech at IWM London on 11 October 2012, Prime Minister David Cameron announced an additional £5 million of government funding to support the museum's redevelopment, as part of funding arrangements to facilitate national centenary commemorations. The £40 million redevelopment, designed by Foster and Partners , provides new gallery spaces dedicated to
9405-427: 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 museum in February 1976. In keeping with the site's history many of Duxford's original buildings, such as hangars used during
9570-444: The principles of flight . AirSpace officially opened to the public on 12 July 2007. Over 30 aircraft are on display, dating back to the First World War; early aircraft include rare examples of an Airco DH.9 and a Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 . The former is one of only six surviving DH9s and the only example on display in the UK, and the latter is the only complete and original R.E.8 in existence. More recent notable aircraft include
9735-425: The surrender of Japan . Their historical value was recognised early on, and the public were able to visit by appointment. However, the practicalities of allowing public access to a site beneath a working government office meant that only 4,500 of 30–40,000 annual applicants to visit the War Rooms could be admitted. The museum agreed to take over the administration of the site in 1982, a development keenly supported by
9900-399: The 1958 Public Records Act, and as such continues to receive material from the Ministry of Defence. In 2012 the museum reported the size of its photographic holdings as approximately 11 million images in 17,263 collections. The museum's exhibits collection includes a wide range of objects, organised into numerous smaller collections such as uniforms, badges, insignia and flags (including
10065-419: The A505; AirSpace is furthest east, with Hangars 2, 3, 4 and 5 running westwards, followed by the American Air Museum and the Land Warfare Hall. The museum site is approximately 1,800 m (5,900 ft) from one end to the other, and a visitor bus operates during opening hours. Some aircraft and other exhibits are displayed externally, such as a Comet tank and replica Hawker Hurricane as gate guardians at
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#173276600632510230-402: The Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944. She saw further combat in the Korean War . Expected to be disposed of as scrap after she was decommissioned in 1963, in 1967 efforts were initiated to preserve Belfast as a museum ship. A joint committee of the Imperial War Museum, the National Maritime Museum and the Ministry of Defence was established, and reported in June 1968 that preservation
10395-467: The Army, the Navy, the production of munitions , and women's war work . There was an early appreciation of the need for exhibits to reflect personal experience in order to prevent the collections becoming dead relics. Sir Martin Conway , the museum's first director general, said that exhibits must "be vitalised by contributions expressive of the action, the experiences, the valour and the endurance of individuals". The museum's first curator and secretary
10560-454: The Battle of Britain, are still in use. A number of these buildings are of architectural or historic significance and over thirty have listed building status. The site also features a number of purpose-built exhibition buildings, such as the Stirling Prize -winning American Air Museum, designed by Sir Norman Foster . The site remains an active airfield and is used by a number of civilian flying companies, and hosts regular air shows . The site
10725-520: The Battle of Britain, are still in use. Many of these buildings are of particular architectural or historic significance and over thirty have listed building status, Duxford "retain[ing] the best-preserved technical fabric remaining from [a historic airfield] up to November 1918" and being "remarkably well-preserved". The site also features several purpose-built exhibition buildings, such as the Stirling Prize -winning American Air Museum, designed by Sir Norman Foster . The site remains an active airfield and
10890-492: The British government to record the war effort and sacrifice of Britain and her Empire . The museum opened in 1920, by which point it had been renamed the Imperial War Museum. With the outbreak of the Second World War , the museum's terms of reference were enlarged to include that conflict as well. The museum's terms of reference was broadened again in 1953 to include all modern conflicts in which British or Commonwealth forces were engaged. The effect of these expansions of remit
11055-433: The British landings on D-Day in June 1944, and the liberation of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in April 1945. The archive also holds government information films and propaganda features such as Target for Tonight (1941) and Desert Victory (1943). The archive's post-Second World War collections include material from the Korean War , Cold War material, the former film library of NATO , and material produced by
11220-502: The Cabinet Office. The collection also includes files on Victoria and George Cross recipients, and correspondence relating to the BBC documentary The Great War . The documents collection also includes the UK National Inventory of War Memorials . In 2012 the museum reported its documents collection to contain 24,800 collections of papers. The museum's art collection includes paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture, and works in film, photography and sound . The collection originated during
11385-478: The Cambridgeshire Regiment collection. Exhibits include the Singapore Drums, lost at the fall of Singapore in 1942 and recovered after the war. On 12 September 2010 a Royal Anglian Regiment memorial was dedicated at Duxford. A fundraising campaign, which raised more than £340,000, was launched following the deaths in action of nine soldiers of 1st Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment during the unit's 2007 operational tour in Helmand Province , Afghanistan. The memorial
11550-443: The Department of Sound Records (now the Sound Archive) to record interviews with individuals who had experienced the First World War. The museum maintains an online database of its collections . The museum's documents archive seeks to collect and preserve the private papers of individuals who have experienced modern warfare. The archive's holdings range from the papers of senior British and Commonwealth army, navy and air officers, to
11715-441: The Duke of York (later King George VI ) in its new accommodation on 7 July 1936. With the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, the museum began to collect material documenting the conflict. In November 1939, during the " Phoney War ", the museum appeared in the opening sequence of the GPO Film Unit production The First Days , in which children are seen playing on some of the museum's German artillery pieces captured during
11880-829: The Duxford Radio Society, collects, preserves, exhibits, and demonstrates historic military electronic equipment. This is housed in Buildings 177 and 178, close to the Gibraltar Gun. Since January 1999, the Society have operated the Friends of Duxford membership scheme with the Museum. As of 2008, the Duxford Aviation Society had almost 700 volunteer members. Duxford remains an active airfield ( IATA : QFO , ICAO : EGSU ) and maintains two parallel runways; an unpaved 880 m (2,890 ft) grass strip, and
12045-577: The East Anglian Aviation Society, which formerly operated the now-closed Bassingbourn Tower Museum at the former RAF Bassingbourn . Duxford Aviation Society preserves and maintains the Civil Aviation Collection. Especially notable aircraft in the collection include a de Havilland Comet which made the first eastbound jet-powered trans-Atlantic passenger flight on 4 October 1958, and Concorde G-AXDN 101,
12210-723: The Falklands, the Persian Gulf, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. The collection also includes over twenty thousand items of publicity material such as posters, postcards, and proclamations from both world wars, and more recent material such as posters issued by anti-war organisations such as the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the Stop the War Coalition . The museum's collection is represented in digital resources such as
12375-607: The First World War exhibits is a battle-damaged artillery limber used by L Battery Royal Horse Artillery during an action at Néry in September 1914 where three Victoria Crosses were won. The Second World War in particular is illustrated with tableaux of the North African Campaign , the Eastern Front and the invasion of Normandy . Outside the building is a Whale floating roadway bridge span from Mulberry B harbour at Arromanches. Significant vehicles in
12540-456: The First World War to the Cold War . The early period is represented by a Bristol Fighter , a type operated by Duxford's No.2 Flying Training School from 1920. The latter period is represented by a Hawker Hunter which flew at Duxford with No. 65 Squadron RAF , a Gloster Javelin , the type which made the last operational flight at Duxford in 1961, and by a Hungarian Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 ,
12705-410: The First World War to the Falklands War . For some years the museum was marketed as "The new Imperial War Museum". This atrium, with its concentration of military hardware, has been described as "the biggest boys' bedroom in London". This first phase cost £16.7 million (of which £12 million was provided by the government) and the museum was reopened by The Queen on 29 June 1989. In 1990,
12870-482: The First World War) or a gun served by Victoria Cross -winning boy seaman Jack Cornwell . The museum was closed for the duration of the war in September 1940 with the onset of the Blitz . On 31 January 1941 the museum was struck by a Luftwaffe bomb which fell on the naval gallery. A number of ship models were damaged by the blast and a Short Type 184 seaplane, which had flown at the Battle of Jutland ,
13035-606: The First World War), technical manuals, biographical material and works on war's social, cultural, economic, political and military aspects. The library also holds printed ephemera such as the Imperial War Museum Stamp Collection , leaflets and ration books, printed proclamations, newspapers, trench magazines (such The Wipers Times ) and trench maps . In 2012 the museum reported its library collection to contain over 80,000 items of historic importance (such as maps, proclamations and rare books) and
13200-510: The First World War, when the museum acquired works that it had itself commissioned, as well as works commissioned by the Ministry of Information's British War Memorials Committee . As early as 1920 the art collection held over 3,000 works and included pieces by John Singer Sargent , Wyndham Lewis , John Nash and Christopher Nevinson . Notable First World War works include Sargent's Gassed and other works commissioned for an, unbuilt, Hall of Remembrance . The collection expanded again after
13365-698: The First World War. With the Dunkirk evacuation in May–June 1940, the British Army's shortage of equipment saw eighteen of the museum's artillery pieces return to military service. The museum's trench clubs were used by the Home Guard , while other items such as sights and optical instruments were returned to the Ministry of Supply. The museum refused to return some historic items such as a naval gun from HMS Lance (which had fired Britain's first shot of
13530-475: The Gibraltar Gun, a 9.2-inch artillery piece previously emplaced on the Rock of Gibraltar is nearby. As a historic site, many of Duxford's buildings are of particular architectural or historic significance. In 2005, following a review of sites relating to British aviation history by English Heritage , some 255 buildings at 31 sites received listed building status. Duxford contains over thirty of these buildings,
13695-538: The Imperial War Museum's collection of armoured vehicles, artillery and military vehicles. Also included are vehicles belonging to the Duxford Aviation Society Military Vehicle Section. The hall comprises a viewing balcony that runs for most of the length of the hall, providing views over a range of tableaux of vehicles, tanks and artillery that run chronologically from the First World War to the present day. Notable among
13860-699: The Prime Minister David Lloyd George to propose the establishment of a National War Museum. This proposal was accepted by the War Cabinet on 5 March 1917 and the decision announced in The Times on 26 March. A committee was established, chaired by Mond, to oversee the collection of material to be exhibited in the new museum. This National War Museum Committee set about collecting material to illustrate Britain's war effort by dividing into subcommittees examining such subjects as
14025-727: The Second World War, receiving thousands of works sponsored by the Ministry of Information's War Artists' Advisory Committee . In 1972 the museum established the Artistic Records Committee (since renamed the Art Commissions Committee) to commission artists to cover contemporary conflicts. Commissioned artists include Ken Howard , Linda Kitson , John Keane , Peter Howson , Steve McQueen (see Queen and Country ) and Langlands & Bell , responding to conflicts in Northern Ireland,
14190-539: The Second World War, which opened in April 2012. In August 2009 the museum announced the creation of the Imperial War Museum Foundation. Chaired by Jonathan Harmsworth the foundation was charged with raising funds to support the redevelopment of Imperial War Museum London's permanent galleries. In December 2010 plans were announced to redevelop IWM London's First World War gallery in time for
14355-457: The Southwark building, during which the museum remained open to the public, was completed in 1994. During the 1990s, while these works were going on, the museum was also seeking to open a branch in the north of England. 71 sites were offered for consideration by 36 local councils and in January 1999 the then Culture Secretary Chris Smith formally launched a project to construct a new branch of
14520-545: The Southwark site and approached engineering firm Arup to plan a phased programme of works that would expand the building's exhibition space, provide appropriate environmental controls to protect collections, and improve facilities for visitors. The following year, in April 1984, the Cabinet War Rooms were opened to the public as a branch of the museum. The first phase of the works to the Southwark building started in 1986 and were completed in 1989, during which time
14685-519: The United States. The B-52 flew 200 sorties during the Vietnam War as part of the 28th Bomb Wing . The General Dynamics F-111 on display flew 19 missions during the 1991 Gulf War as part of the 77th Fighter Squadron . On 17 January 2014 the museum announced an award of £980,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The museum planned to use the money to build a website based on the photographic collection of aviation historian Roger Freeman , to update
14850-641: The War Rooms were rebranded as the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms, with 850 m of the site redeveloped as a biographical museum exploring Churchill's life. The development of the Churchill Museum cost a further £6 million. The centrepiece is a 15 m interactive table which enables visitors to access digitised material, particularly from the Churchill Archives Centre , via an "electronic filing cabinet". The museum
15015-699: The Western Front, who reportedly took great interest in his work. In December 1917 the name was changed to the Imperial War Museum after a resolution from the India and Dominions Committee of the museum. The museum was opened by King George V at the Crystal Palace on 9 June 1920. During the opening ceremony, Sir Alfred Mond addressed the King on behalf of the committee, saying that "it
15180-454: The airfield, hangars and technical buildings on the south side. Still divided by the A505, the museum's site is now bounded to the east by the M11 motorway , which meets the A505 adjacent to the museum site at Junction 10. The construction of the M11 in 1977 (the year the museum opened) forced the shortening of the runway by 300 metres (980 ft). In its role as a museum, the north side of the site
15345-573: The archive's First World War holdings is The Battle of the Somme , a pioneering 1916 documentary film (which was inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World register in 2005), and Der Magische Gürtel , a German 1917 propaganda film about the submarine U-35 . The archive's Second World War holdings include unedited film shot by British military cameramen, which document combat actions such as
15510-574: The building in 1936 the ground floor of the central portion was occupied by the principal art gallery, with the east wing housing the Naval gallery and the west wing the Army gallery. The Air Force gallery was housed in the former theatre. The first floor comprised further art galleries (including rooms dedicated to Sir William Orpen and Sir John Lavery ), a gallery on women's war work , and exhibits relating to transport and signals. The first floor also housed
15675-463: The building to provide a public park in what was a severely overcrowded area of London. Eventually the central portion of the hospital building was retained. The two extensive wings were removed and the resulting space named Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park , after Lord Rothermere's mother. Sir Martin Conway described the building as "...a fine building, really quite noble building, with a great portico,
15840-480: The collection include three command vehicles used by Field Marshal Montgomery , commander of 21st Army Group during the north-west Europe campaign. Also on display are extracts from Montgomery's personal papers, which are held by the Imperial War Museum's Department of Documents . Other tableaux depict scenes from post-1945 conflicts such as the Korean War , the Northern Ireland Troubles ,
16005-571: The composition of the council was: Three of the independent councillors sit together as a group, the other three are not aligned to any group. The next election is due in 2025. Until 2021, the county council had its offices and meeting place in Cambridge, being based at different times at the Guildhall , County Hall , and Shire Hall . In 2021 the council vacated Shire Hall and left Cambridge, moving to New Shire Hall at Alconbury Weald in
16170-412: The concession as a "win for the right side of history". The council admitted liability and agreed to pay compensation of £54,000. The county council is the upper-tier of local government, below which are five councils with responsibility for local services such as housing, planning applications, licensing, council tax collection and rubbish collection. The districts of Cambridgeshire are: Following
16335-502: The crashed aircraft under guard. One unusual aircraft on display is the Cierva C.30A autogyro , which was used by 74 (Signals) Wing, based at Duxford, to test the calibration of coastal radar units. Hangar 5, the westernmost original hangar, houses Duxford's aircraft conservation workshops. Open to the public, the hangar allows visitors to see museum staff and volunteers at work on a variety of conservation tasks. Notable projects include
16500-464: The directly-elected Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough . The council is responsible for public services such as education, transport, highways, heritage, social care, libraries, trading standards, and waste management. In 2024, the council conceded that it had discriminated against Lizzie Pitt, a social worker, by initiating a disciplinary process against her following her gender-critical statements made at an LGBT support group. Pitt described
16665-521: The end of the war in Europe the Group remained at Duxford carrying out bomber escort and fighter sweeps, ground strafing and ground attack missions. Duxford was officially returned to the RAF on 1 December 1945. It remained a fighter station but by 1958 changing defence priorities saw the RAF's fighter force move to more northerly bases. Duxford's last operational flight was made in July 1961. No longer operational,
16830-454: The entire county of Cambridgeshire. In 1998, Peterborough City Council became a unitary authority , thus outside the area of the county council. For ceremonial, geographic , and certain administrative purposes, however, Peterborough continues to be associated with and work in collaboration with Cambridgeshire County Council. Since 2017, the council has been a constituent member of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority , led by
16995-580: The existing permanent exhibition. In 1989 the museum acquired the All Saints Annexe, a former hospital building in Austral Street off West Square . The 1867 building, which backs onto Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park , was originally an orphanage opened by local philanthropist Charlotte Sharman , then later used as a hospital. It housed the museum's photographic, film and sound archives, and offices. Imperial War Museum Duxford, near
17160-439: The film collection, which includes reels existing on nitrate film stock , which is highly flammable and subject to decomposition, kept in purpose-built vaults at nearby Ickleton . Other collections stored at Duxford's north side include books, maps, ephemera, photographs, documents and collections of uniforms and equipment. Imperial War Museum The Imperial War Museum ( IWM ), currently branded " Imperial War Museums ",
17325-423: The former Bethlem Royal Hospital on Lambeth Road since 1936. The hospital building was designed by the hospital surveyor, James Lewis, from plans submitted by John Gandy and other architects, and construction completed in October 1814. The hospital consisted of a range of buildings 580 feet long with a basement and three storeys, parallel to Lambeth Road , with a central entrance under a portico . The building
17490-528: The gallery exhibits the museum's Victoria Cross (VC) and George Cross collection, alongside the private VC collection amassed by Michael Ashcroft , 241 medals in total. In August 2019, the museum announced plans to spend over £30m on a new set of galleries over two floors at its London site covering the Holocaust and its importance in World War II. The galleries opened in October 2021 to replace
17655-460: The history of the First World War, a new central hall, easier navigation and improved visitor facilities, access and circulation. In preparation for building work, a number of galleries were closed during September 2012, and by December 2012 over sixty large objects had been removed from the IWM London atrium for conservation at Duxford. To allow building work to go ahead, IWM London closed to
17820-442: The history of the site and the experiences of Duxford's personnel. In 2000, Duxford announced plans for the redevelopment of Hangar 1, previously known as the 'Superhangar', which was built in the 1980s. The plans would expand the building by 40%, providing more display and conservation space, improve internal conditions, and enable the museum's British and Commonwealth aircraft collection to be brought under cover. Planning permission
17985-476: The largest number at any one site. Listed buildings include three hangars dating back to the First World War and the operations block, which received Grade II* status. This block, open to the public, houses the wartime operations room from which Duxford's aircraft were directed. Another historic building, the 1918 Watch Office, has been converted to accommodate the Historic Duxford exhibition, depicting
18150-581: The letters, diaries and memoirs of lower-ranked servicemen and of civilians. The collection includes the papers of Field Marshals Bernard Montgomery , and Sir John French . The archive also includes large collections of foreign documents, such as captured German Second World War documents previously held by the Cabinet Office Historical Section, Air Historical Branch and other British government bodies. The foreign collection also includes captured Japanese material transferred from
18315-465: The loss of irreplaceable books and documents. On his conviction in 1969 he was sentenced to four years in prison. In 1969 RAF Duxford, a Royal Air Force fighter airfield in Cambridgeshire was declared surplus to requirements by the Ministry of Defence . Needing further space, the museum duly requested permission to use part of the site as temporary storage. The entire site was later transferred to
18480-459: The loss of up to £100,000 due to adverse weather is also budgeted for. The policing bill, necessary to manage the resulting road traffic, was reported as some £8,000. Major events have included the Battle of Britain 70th Anniversary airshow, held on 4–5 September 2010, attended by more than 40,000 people, featuring formation displays by four Hawker Hurricanes and sixteen Spitfires . As an active civil airfield, operations at Duxford are regulated by
18645-483: The main entrance. Several commercial airliners belonging to the Duxford Aviation Society stand on the runway apron opposite the hangars. A Bloodhound surface-to-air missile stands on the site of the demolished hangar. A United States Air Force F-15 Eagle previously stood near the American Air Museum (now hanging inside). A Royal Engineers ' Centurion AVRE stands outside the Land Warfare Hall and
18810-693: The most notable privately owned and operated aircraft based at Duxford is B-17 Preservation Ltd's Sally B , the only airworthy B-17 Flying Fortress in Europe. Major air shows held regularly include the Duxford Air Show, and American Air Day, which is held in conjunction with units of the Third Air Force (part of the United States Air Forces in Europe ), based at nearby RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall . The Flying Legends show (organised by The Fighter Collection),
18975-603: The museum rebranded itself as Imperial War Museums, the initials IWM forming the basis of a new corporate logo. In September 2011 the museum secured funding from NESTA , the Arts and Humanities Research Council and Arts Council England to develop "social interpretation" systems to allow visitors to comment on, collect, and share museum objects via social media. These systems were incorporated in "A Family in Wartime", an exhibition at IWM London depicting British family life during
19140-653: The museum aims "to provide for, and to encourage, the study and understanding of the history of modern war and 'wartime experience'." Originally housed in the Crystal Palace at Sydenham Hill , the museum opened to the public in 1920. In 1924, it moved to space in the Imperial Institute in South Kensington and in 1936 it acquired a permanent home at the former Bethlem Royal Hospital in Southwark , which serves as its headquarters. The outbreak of
19305-492: The museum for approximately £1.6 million. Since 1973, Duxford has held regular air shows. Duxford is the home of several private aviation companies, such as Classic Wings, The Fighter Collection, the Old Flying Machine Company and The Aircraft Restoration Company. Between them these companies provide pleasure flights, historic aircraft for film or television work, and aircraft restoration services. Perhaps
19470-463: The museum has had its glass front temporarily removed to permit access for an SR-71 Blackbird and Consolidated B-24 Liberator . The SR-71, serial number 61-7962, is the only example of its type on display outside the United States, and set a flight altitude record of 85,069 feet (25,929m) in July 1976. Besides the Blackbird, nineteen other American aircraft are on display. Notable examples include
19635-478: The museum in February 1976 and Duxford, now referred to as Imperial War Museum Duxford became the museum's first branch. Also during the 1970s the government raised the possibility of the museum taking over the historic Cabinet War Rooms in Whitehall . The museum was reluctant due to its new commitments related to Duxford and HMS Belfast , but agreed in 1982. By 1983 the museum was again looking to redevelop
19800-436: The museum reported the size of its film archive as being in excess of 23,000 hours of film, video and digital footage. IWM participated in the national digitising project Unlocking Film Heritage . The museum's Photograph Archive preserves photographs by official, amateur and professional photographers. The collection includes the official British photographic record of the two world wars; the First World War collection includes
19965-451: The museum was awarded National Heritage Museum of the Year . In September 1992 the museum was the target of a Provisional Irish Republican Army attack against London tourist attractions. Two incendiary devices were found in a basement gallery, but were extinguished by staff before the arrival of the fire brigade , and caused only minor damage. The second stage of the redevelopment of
20130-409: The museum was closed to the public. The work included the conversion of what was previously the hospital's courtyard into a centrepiece Large Exhibits Gallery. This gallery featured a strengthened ground floor (to support the weight of very heavy exhibits), a first floor mezzanine and second storey viewing balcony. Into this space were placed tanks, artillery pieces, vehicles, ordnance and aircraft from
20295-410: The museum's B-52 Stratofortress bomber with its 61 m (200 ft) wingspan and a tail 16 m (52 ft) high. The roof was constructed as a double-layered concrete shell , built in 924 precast reinforced concrete sections. Inverted T-shaped sections provided the inner layer with further flat panels forming the outer layer. The roof weighs 6,000 tonnes (5,900 long tons; 6,600 short tons) and
20460-569: The museum's aircraft had been brought to Duxford, and were being restored by volunteers of the East Anglia Aviation Society. While the museum's own aircraft were not restored to flying condition, by cooperating with private groups the museum was able to mount its first airshow in 1973. Further air shows followed, with a display in June 1976 attracting an audience of 45,000 people. The runway was bought by Cambridgeshire County Council in 1977. The success of these shows provided
20625-602: The museum's collection. The team also operate vehicles for demonstrations during the year. The wing's works have been featured in the Discovery Channel's Tank Overhaul programme, James May's 20th Century , and wide variety of magazines and other media. Other elements of the society provide or support a range of functions at the Duxford site, including canteen, aircraft conservation, learning and interpretative activities and administrative tasks. An affiliated group,
20790-415: The museum's galleries in 1955 as appearing "dingy and neglected [and in a] dismal state of decay" the museum's "numerous stunning exhibits" notwithstanding. In 1966 the museum's Southwark building was extended to provide collections storage and other facilities, the first major expansion since the museum had moved to the site. The development also included a purpose-built cinema. In 1967 the museum acquired
20955-698: The museum's interpretation, and to conserve aircraft and other exhibits. The museum launched americanairmuseum.com in October 2014. The website seeks to crowdsource photographs and information from the public about the men and women of the US Army Air Forces who served from the UK in the Second World War and the British people who befriended them. The Land Warfare Hall was opened on 28 September 1992 by Field Marshal Lord Bramall on behalf of Prime Minister John Major . The building provides accommodation for
21120-439: The museum's photograph collection. The second floor housed the museum's library in its west wing, and in the east wing the map collection and stored pictures and drawings. This division of exhibits by service, and by civil or military activity, persisted until a wide-ranging redisplay of the galleries from the 1960s onwards. In September 1972 the building received Grade II listed building status. The original hospital building
21285-583: The museum, Imperial War Museum North , in Trafford , Greater Manchester . The following year, 2000, the final phase of the Southwark redevelopment was completed. The development included the installation of the museum's Holocaust Exhibition which was opened by the Queen on 6 June 2000. This was the first permanent exhibition dedicated to the Holocaust in a UK museum; its development had taken five years at
21450-512: The museum. To reflect the museum's Imperial remit the board included appointees of the governments of India , South Africa , Canada , Australia and New Zealand . While the Act was being debated, some Parliamentarians felt that the museum would perpetuate an undesirable war spirit and Lieutenant-Commander Joseph Kenworthy MP said that he would "refuse to vote a penny of public money to commemorate such suicidal madness of civilisation as that which
21615-489: 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 ,
21780-589: The parish of The Stukeleys , north-west of Huntingdon . The first committee meeting to be held at New Shire Hall was in September 2021. An official opening ceremony for New Shire Hall was held on 8 July 2022. Since the last boundary changes in 2017, the council has comprised 61 councillors representing 59 electoral divisions , with most divisions electing one councillor but two divisions (March North & Waldersley and Sawston & Shelford) elect two councillors each. Elections are held every four years. Richard Howitt Ryan Fuller Steve Cortney The council
21945-731: The pilots of the Wing was Group Captain John Grandy who would later rise to be Chief of the Air Staff and also served as Chairman of the Trustees of the Imperial War Museum from 1978 to 1989. In March 1943 the United States Army Air Forces ' 78th Fighter Group started to arrive at Duxford with their Republic P-47 Thunderbolts . The Group reequipped with North American P-51 Mustangs in December 1944 and until
22110-528: The public on 2 January 2013. The museum partially reopened on 29 July 2013. IWM London was formally reopened on 17 July 2014 by Prince William, Duke of Cambridge . From the 1970s onwards the Imperial War Museum began to expand onto other sites. The first branch, Imperial War Museum Duxford opened to the public on a regular basis in June 1976. HMS Belfast became a branch of the museum in 1978. The Churchill War Rooms opened in 1984, and Imperial War Museum North in 2002. The museum has occupied
22275-483: The public. In 2002 IWM North opened in Trafford , Greater Manchester , the fifth branch of the museum and the first in the north of England. From the 1980s onwards, the museum's Southwark building underwent a series of multimillion-pound redevelopments, the latest of which was completed in 2022. The museum's collections include archives of personal and official documents, photographs , film and video material, and oral history recordings, an extensive library ,
22440-575: The site gradually became increasingly derelict and overgrown. In 1968 the American film studio United Artists obtained permission to use the site for the filming of Battle of Britain . During the shoot a single bay hangar, which had been built during the First World War, was demolished to simulate an air raid. After the Ministry of Defence announced its intention to dispose of Duxford plans were drawn up for various developments including two Young Offenders Institutes but were not implemented. Duxford
22605-541: The space. The walls of the gallery space are used as screens for the projection of an hourly audiovisual presentation, the Big Picture. The main gallery, described as cavernous and dramatic, includes objects such as a Russian T-34 tank, a United States Marine Corps AV-8A Harrier jet, and a British 13-pounder field gun which fired the British Army 's first shot of the First World War. The museum also hosts
22770-413: The then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher , an admirer of Britain's wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill . Thatcher opened the War Rooms in April 1984. In 2003 a further suite of rooms, used as accommodation by Churchill, his wife and close associates, were added to the museum. The restoration of these rooms, which since the war had been stripped out and used for storage, cost £7.5 million. In 2005
22935-501: The training officers coming from Stansted and other local airports, for the last few years it has been a mixed voluntary/full-time operation. When originally planned in 1917, Duxford aerodrome was to occupy a 238-acre (0.96 km; 0.372 sq mi) site divided by what is now the A505 road which runs north-east from Royston to Newmarket . The area north of the road would be occupied by accommodation and administrative buildings with
23100-507: The various items which make up the IWM Collections. In some cases, there are images of the item, or contemporary photos, which can be shared and reused under a Creative Commons Licence . Cambridgeshire County Council Cambridgeshire County Council is the county council for non-metropolitan county of Cambridgeshire , England. The non-metropolitan county is smaller than the ceremonial county , which additionally includes
23265-462: The village of Duxford in Cambridgeshire , is Britain's largest aviation museum . Duxford houses the museum's large exhibits, including nearly 200 aircraft , military vehicles, artillery and minor naval vessels in seven main exhibitions buildings. The site also provides storage space for the museum's collections of film, photographs, documents, books and artefacts. The site accommodates a number of British Army regimental museums, including those of
23430-535: The work of photographers such as Ernest Brooks and John Warwick Brooke . The archive also holds 150,000 British aerial photographs from the First World War, the largest collection of its kind. The Second World War collection includes the work of photographers such as Bill Brandt , Cecil Beaton and Bert Hardy . Like the Film Archive, the Photograph Archive is an official repository under
23595-716: Was Charles ffoulkes , who had previously been curator of the Royal Armouries at the Tower of London . In July 1917 Mond made a visit to the Western Front in order to study how best to organise the museum's growing collection. While in France he met French government ministers, along with Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig , Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on
23760-418: Was Libeskind's first building in Britain. Libeskind's building, overlooking the Manchester Ship Canal at Salford Quays , was based on the concept of a globe shattered by conflict into shards and reassembled. These shards, representing earth, air and water, give the building its shape. Originally budgeted at £40 million, the museum was eventually completed for £28.5 million after anticipated funding
23925-458: Was a joint project between the Imperial War Museum and the Burma Star Association. The Association represents veterans of the Burma campaign who often consider themselves to have fought in a " Forgotten Army " compared to those who fought in Europe. The exhibition explores aspects of the Second World War in the Far East and features artifacts, archival film and photographs, and tableaux depicting scenes such as troops moving through jungle and
24090-466: Was changed to "HMS Belfast 1938" to reflect that one of the Royal Navy's new Type 26 frigates had been given the name HMS Belfast . The Cabinet War Rooms is an underground complex that served as a British government command centre throughout the Second World War. Located beneath the Treasury building in the Whitehall area of Westminster , the facilities became operational in 1939 and were in constant use until their abandonment in August 1945 after
24255-460: Was described by the judges as "a great big, clear span hangar of a building...dramatic, awe-inspiring, an object of beauty...simple yet replete with imagery." The American Air Museum was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 1 August 1997. The total cost of the project had been £13.5 million. The museum was re-dedicated on 27 September 2002, in a ceremony attended by the then Prince Charles & former President George H. W. Bush . Since being opened,
24420-427: Was destroyed. While closed to the public the museum's building was used for a variety of purposes connected to the war effort, such as a repair garage for government motor vehicles, a centre for Air Raid Precautions civil defence lectures and a fire fighting training school. In October 1945 the museum mounted a temporary exhibition, the first since the end of the war in August, which showcased technologies developed by
24585-430: Was donated to the museum by the Ministry of Defence in 2008 and went on display in June 2009. Civil aircraft include the Duxford Aviation Society's Concorde and Comet described above. AirSpace also houses Airborne Assault , the museum of the British Army's Parachute Regiment and airborne forces. Previously located at Browning Barracks near Aldershot , the museum opened at Duxford on 8 December 2008. The opening ceremony
24750-399: Was granted a coat of arms on 1 November 1976. The three wavy blue lines represent the county's three main rivers of the Cam , Great Ouse and Nene , and the two straight lines represent the many drainage ditches in the Fens . Other parts of the design represent different parts of the county and the council's predecessors: the supporters are great bustards, birds which were formerly common in
24915-403: Was held annually at Duxford until 2019. The Duxford Air Show usually exhibits a wide range of aircraft, from vintage warbirds to contemporary jet aircraft, along with aerobatic flying by groups such as the Red Arrows . while the Flying Legends show focuses on historic aircraft, especially those of the Second World War. In 2008 it was reported that these displays generate up to £1.8 million, while
25080-427: Was home to three RAF squadrons engaged on coastal patrol duties. From July 1940, Duxford saw considerable action during the Battle of Britain as a sector station of RAF Fighter Command 's No. 12 Group . In the middle years of the war Duxford was home to specialist units, such as the tacticians and engineers of the Air Fighting Development Unit . In April 1942 the first Typhoon Wing was formed at Duxford. Notable among
25245-404: Was hoped to make the museum so complete that every one who took part in the war, however obscurely, would find therein an example or illustration of the sacrifice he or she made" and that the museum "was not a monument of military glory, but a record of toil and sacrifice". Shortly afterwards the Imperial War Museum Act 1920 was passed and established a board of trustees to oversee the governance of
25410-784: Was led by the then Prince Charles , the Parachute Regiment's Colonel-in-Chief . The museum chronicles the history of British airborne forces from the Second World War to current operations in Afghanistan and cost £3 million. Hangar 2 is a double Type T2 hangar, erected in the 1970s. It occupies the site of a T2 hangar erected in the 1950s. It accommodates the flyable aircraft of Duxford's private aviation companies, such as The Fighter Collection , and allows visitors to see aircraft undergoing maintenance or restoration. Hangar 3, an original Belfast truss hangar, houses Duxford's maritime exhibition. The collection includes notable vessels and naval aircraft. Boats on display include Coastal Motor Boat 4 , built by Thornycroft in 1916. She saw action during
25575-432: Was not forthcoming. The museum was funded by local, national and European development agencies, by private donations and by Peel Holdings , a local transport and property company which contributed £12.5 million. The museum's first floor main gallery space houses the permanent exhibitions. These consist of a chronological display which runs around the gallery's 200m perimeter and six thematic displays in "silos" within
25740-437: Was opened in June 1996 by noted war correspondent Martin Bell , who had previously served as a sergeant in the Suffolk Regiment while a national serviceman . The museum 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 . Alongside the museum is the Cambridgeshire Regiment Exhibition, which displays items from
25905-437: Was practical. In 1971 the government decided against preservation, prompting the formation of the private HMS Belfast Trust to campaign for her to be saved for the nation. The Trust was successful in its efforts, and the government transferred the ship to the Trust in July 1971. Brought to London, she was moored on the River Thames near Tower Bridge in the Pool of London . Opened to the public in October 1971 Belfast became
26070-489: Was received later that year. The project cost £25 million and was supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund , the East of England Development Agency and BAE Systems , which contributed £6 million. The building, which provides 12,000 square metres (130,000 sq ft) of floor space, consists of an aircraft conservation area, a large exhibition hall, and a mezzanine providing views of the aircraft and interactive educational installations exploring aeronautical engineering and
26235-408: Was renamed the Churchill War Rooms in 2010. The Imperial War Museum North was opened in Trafford , Greater Manchester , in 2002. It was the first branch of the museum outside southeast England, and the first to be purpose-built as a museum. Designed by architect Daniel Libeskind , with Manchester-based architects Leach Rhodes Walker providing implementation services, The Imperial War Museum North
26400-447: Was seeking additional space. RAF Duxford, a Royal Air Force fighter station had been declared surplus to requirements by the Ministry of Defence in 1969, and the museum duly requested permission to use part of one of the airfield's hangars as temporary storage. Duxford featured three double bay hangars of First World War vintage, which together provided over 9,000 square metres (97,000 sq ft) of space. Within two years, ten of
26565-405: Was shown in the late War". On the August Bank Holiday 1920, the first public holiday since the museum's opening, 94,179 visitors were received, and by November 1921, 2,290,719 had visited the museum. In 1924 the museum moved to the Imperial Institute building (demolished in the 1950s and 1960s to make way for Imperial College ) in South Kensington. While this location was more central and in
26730-416: Was stationed at Bembridge on the Isle of Wight . A variety of naval aircraft are on display, including a de Havilland Sea Vixen , Sea Venom , and Sea Vampire , and a Westland Wasp helicopter which was embarked on the frigate HMS Apollo during the Falklands War. Hangar 4 is one of Duxford's historic hangars, and now houses an exhibition exploring Duxford's history as an operational RAF airfield from
26895-399: Was substantially altered in 1835 by architect Sydney Smirke . In order to provide more space, he added blocks at either end of the frontage, and galleried wings on either side of the central portion. He also added a small single-storey lodge, still in existence, at the Lambeth Road gate. Later, between 1844 and 1846, the central cupola was replaced with a copper-clad dome in order to expand
27060-407: Was to cause the museum's collections to expand enormously, to the point that many parts of the collection, especially those of aircraft, vehicles and artillery, could not be effectively stored or exhibited. Although the museum's south London home (a nineteenth-century building in Southwark which was previously the Bethlem Royal Hospital ) had been extended in 1966, by the end of the decade the museum
27225-455: Was widely supported in the United States by some 50,000 individual subscribers. A further $ 1 million of funding was secured from Saudi Arabia , and £6.5 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund . On 8 September 1995 the groundbreaking for the new building was performed by wartime 78th Fighter Group veteran, Major James E Stokes. The American Air Museum was designed by Norman Foster and Chris Wise at Arup . The museum's specification called for
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