Duxford - Press Release

Duxford’s evocative new exhibition commemorates 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War

The exhibition runs from Thursday 3 September, the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War, through to winter 2009. The exhibition will be held in AirSpace.

Imperial War Museum Duxford will be commemorating the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War with a new photographic exhibition showing how Duxford prepared for those dark days of conflict.

The exhibition will feature photographs from the Imperial War Museum’s extensive archives, together with rare photographs, on public display for the first time, which were collected as part of the research for Historic Duxford, the museum’s new interpretation project.

These unique snapshots show how Duxford changed during the years, months and days in the lead up to the momentous announcement at 11.15am on 3 September that Great Britain was now at war with Germany.

In response to German militarism in the 1930s, the RAF underwent a period of expansion. At Duxford, a fighter station, this meant new buildings, increased numbers of personnel and new aircraft. More significantly, Duxford’s two regular squadrons, Nos.19 and 66, became the first in the RAF to begin operating the new Supermarine Spitfire, in 1938.

In the months leading up to 3 September 1939, and continuing into the first weeks of war, preparations were undertaken to ready Duxford for the impending conflict. Buildings were camouflaged and sandbagged. Shelters were dug to protect personnel in the event of air raids. Aircraft were dispersed across the airfield, where eventually special pens were constructed to protect them from bomb blasts and alongside those, a series of huts were built for the pilots. Roadblocks were established and anti-gas measures put in place. Reservists were called up, including the pilots of No.611 (West Lancashire) Squadron Auxiliary Air Force, who had been at Duxford on annual summer camp. Instead of returning to their home town of Liverpool, these ‘weekend airmen’ remained at Duxford to prepare for war.

Over the next five years, RAF Duxford played a key role in the Second World War, first as a fighter station, then as a home to test and experimental units and finally as a base for the US Eighth Air Force’s 78th Fighter Group.

This fascinating exhibition shows the moment in history, from immediately prior to the outbreak of war, to the announcement itself and Britain in the throes of wartime endeavour.