Educational Visits
History brought to life for schools and students.
We want the Museum to be an enjoyable day out and an educational one. Our exhibits and information give schools and students a clearer understanding of life in Britain in 1940, when we fought alone against seemingly overwhelming odds.
Pupils discover what life was like for:
- the young pilots and all the other personnel on an operational airfield
- the civilian population of the area: firemen, policemen, air raid wardens, members of the Observer Corps, Land Army girls, the Women’s Voluntary Service and the Home Guard
- children and their parents
All were involved in, and affected by, the Battle of Britain, a battle whose outcome was as vital to the people of this country as the Armada, Trafalgar or Waterloo. If a younger generation remembers even one of the stories, or one of the pilots, our efforts in creating this collection will have been well rewarded.
A Museum of People
Each exhibit is carefully researched, mostly from primary source material. We are best described not as an aircraft museum but as a museum of the men and women of the Battle of Britain.
Where possible we tell the story behind each exhibit and the person involved: where the pilot or airman was born and educated, and where they worked before their wartime service. If they died, where they are buried; if they survived, what happened to them after the war. Each display is a personal tribute to those involved.
Our displays draw visitors into the story of the Battle, and you will often find a connection to your own life. Perhaps you were born in the same hospital or attended the same school, an aircraft crashed close to your home town or village, or an airman is buried in your local cemetery.
Shot Down on This Day
More than 700 aircraft losses from the Battle are represented in the Museum. On the anniversary of each aircraft being shot down, often with the loss of its pilot and aircrew, its display is marked with a simple ‘shot down on this day in 1940’ and two poppies.
On some days only one or two were lost; on others up to fifty are represented. It brings home the intensity of the fighting on particular days of the Battle of Britain.
Education Centre
The arrival of the Junkers Ju 52 in the Museum’s collection has given us a unique classroom in which to teach school children and students about the Battle of Britain.
Please contact us to find out how our Education Centre can benefit your school or youth group.
David Duker, Tally-Ho Project Principal, commented: “Our mission is to keep the memory of the Battle of Britain generation alive for years to come and use their example to inspire students to rise to their challenges.”
Our education co-ordinators, left to right: Dave Brocklehurst MBE, David Duker and Chris Gannon.
