Imperial War Museum Duxford launches fundraising campaign
for a major new project
Historic Duxford is ImperialWar Museum Duxford’s new project which will tell the
fascinating story of RAF Duxford and the vital role played by the inspiring men and women
who served at this historic airfield.
Visitors to IWM Duxford currently enjoy a huge range of museum exhibits, housed in
buildings that have been created as part of a large-scale ongoing development programme.
AirSpace, Land Warfare Hall and the American Air Museum are all purpose-built,
architecturally-exciting buildings that inspire and stimulate visitors.
Historic Duxford enables visitors to learn more about Duxford’s fascinating history and to
learn more about the people who contributed to Duxford’s role as a renowned fighter
station.
IWM Duxford is the best-preserved Second World War airfield in Europe. In addition, it
houses RAF structures that are of specific architectural and historical interest – particularly
the First World War-era hangars that are still in use today.
Involving a series of connecting projects, Historic Duxford will begin the historical narrative of
this famous fighter station with a new landmark exhibition in the old Watch Office, the
building used in the 1930s by the duty pilot during flying activity.
Period reconstructions, original objects and interactive displays will bring to life Duxford’s
fascinating history as it unfolds through time.
Brand new trails, involving up-to-the-minute technology, will assist visitors to explore the
historic site and discover its listed buildings.
An essential part of the new visitor trail will be a renewed interpretation of Duxford’s hidden
gem, the Operations Room, from where Duxford’s fighters were directed into combat during
the Battle of Britain in 1940.
Historic Duxford is an amazing story waiting to be told. In this very poignant 70th anniversary
year, when Imperial War Museum Duxford commemorates the pilots and aircraft that flew
from RAF Duxford to win the Battle of Britain, the need to tell the stories of these heroic
men and women becomes ever more urgent.
IWM Duxford has set a target to raise £400,000 by September 2010 to fund the first phase of
the project – the landmark exhibition in the Watch Office.
Can you help us to bring the story of Duxford to life? To make a contribution, please contact
Pippa Vaughan, Fundraising Manager, Imperial War Museum Duxford at
pvaughan@iwm.org.uk
IWM Duxford’s iconic history
Duxford’s aerodrome was built at the end of the FirstWorld War and was one of the earliest
Royal Air Force stations. In 1920, it became No.2 Flying School and in 1924, it became a
fighter station, a role it was to carry out with distinction for 37 years.
By the beginning of 1925 Duxford’s three fighter squadrons were up to strength flying Gloster
Grebes and Armstrong Whitworth Siskins.
In 1931, No.19 Squadron re-equipped with Bristol Bulldogs and at the beginning of 1935, was
picked as the first squadron to fly the RAF’s new fighter, the Gloster Gauntlet. In the same
year, No.19 Squadron was chosen to give a special demonstration of air drill over Duxford on
the occasion of King George V’s Jubilee Review of the Royal Air Force.
In 1936, Flight Lieutenant Frank Whittle was studying at Cambridge University and regularly
flew from Duxford as a member of the Cambridge University Air Squadron. Frank Whittle
went on to develop the jet turbine, enabling Britain to produce the jet-powered Gloster
Meteor in 1943.
In 1938 No.19 Squadron became the first RAF squadron to re-equip with the new
Supermarine Spitfire and at the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, Duxford was
poised to play a vital role in the years of conflict that lay ahead.
In February 1940, Flying Officer Douglas Bader was posted to 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 the
conquest 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.
Following the Battle of Britain, Duxford became the home of several specialist units, among
them the Air Fighting Development Unit (AFDU). The AFDU’s equipment included captured
German aircraft, restored to flying condition for evaluation. Duxford villagers became used to
the sight of a Messerschmitt Bf109, Junkers 88 or Heinkel III flying with RAF insignia.
During this time, squadrons with newly acquired aircraft were posted to Duxford for trials.
One of these was No.601 Squadron, the only RAF squadron to be equipped with the unusual
American Bell Aircobra.
Duxford also played a major part in developing the Hawker Typhoon into a formidable lowlevel
ground attack fighter and it was at Duxford that the first Typhoon Wing was formed.
In April 1943, the airfield was fully handed over to the United States Eighth Air Force, which
had begun to arrive in Britain the previous May. Duxford now became Base 357 and the
headquarters of the 78th Fighter Group, who were officially welcomed when King George VI
and Queen Elizabeth visited the airfield on 26 May 1943.
The 78th Fighter Group flew P-47 Thunderbolts and, from December 1944, P-51 Mustangs.
They acted as fighter escort on the large US daylight bomber raids in occupied Europe and
Germany itself.
On D-Day, 6 June 1944, every available 78th Fighter Group Thunderbolt was giving air cover
to the Allied invasion fleet as it crossed the channel. Later, the group took part in raids on
railway targets ahead of the ground forces. During the airborne landings at Arnhem in the
Netherlands, the 78th Fighter Group was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation for the
number of sorties carried out.
Duxford was officially handed back to the Royal Air Force on 1 December 1945.
During their stay, the Americans had laid a perforated steel plate runway over the grass strip
and it was deemed adequate for jet aircraft in the short term, by the RAF.
The first RAF aircraft to return to Duxford were Spitfires but by 1947, they were replaced by
jet-powered Gloster Meteors (developed by Frank Whittle, who had flown from Duxford
some 11 years earlier).
By 1951, a new concrete runway had been laid. No.64 Squadron took on the last type of
fighter to serve with the RAF at Duxford – the Gloster Javelin FAW7.
The station was entering its last operational phase. The defence needs for which Duxford
became operational no longer existed. Duxford was too far south and too far inland. It did
not have the necessary logistical structure to fly the new supersonic fighters.
In July 1961, the last operational RAF flight was made from Duxford.
