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RAF Museum Reserve Collection


Boggy

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I was at Stafford on a job and had a wander around the RAF Museum Reserve collection, I've been in there before but last time I never took any photo's. Sorry that the photo's aren't great they were taken with my phone.

 

Mark

 

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We'll start with some uniforms,one of many rows.

 

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RFC SNCO

 

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RFC Pilot

 

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More racks

 

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More to come

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And there is a moot point. During my teens (1960's) many was the time I walked through the fuselage sections on the top of Mickle Fell (often as a first hike of the year after the snow to High Cup or search for other aircraft) , like a pilgramage.

 

Apparently the sole survivor was the tail-gunner who managed to get to Birkdale Fm. We never did find any tail-section but the water-shed peat gullies were difficult from the Birkdale side. Apparently it was the best preserved WW2 crash site in England due to remote position.

 

I well remember the well burried engines and twisted prop blades , one point I can not forget is the uneven weathering to the blades - like Redwood part raised like the harder rings , between heavily eroded like sapwood.

 

Over the years I visited - little seemed to have changed, obviously much must have been taken shortly after the crash.

 

Unfortunately I did not take photographs because I never considered it would be removed, far better to visit once a year. It must have been about 1969 - I heard it was being taken, and in fact noticed a lorry with a downed light helicopter travel through Middleton-in-Teesdale that had been involved.

 

A year gone X'mas - I was reliably informed that these large recovered sections had been in storage somewhere at a RAF base in NW England and had in fact been scrapped ??

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  • 2 years later...

Nice thread cheers.Post 6 picture 4 is a drop boat I think. I dont know much about them apart from my friend owned one that had been converted into a houseboat on the canal. Unfortunately he had a fire and the wooden cabin and interior fit out were a right off but the hull was only slightly damaged.When he approach various museum to donate it he was met with very little interest and sorry to say it went for scrap.l'll see if I can dig up some photos.Anyone who could fill me in with a little history on these drop boats that would be cool.

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Any jobs going there ?

 

I went to see this collection when it was at RAF Cardington in the 1980's. I went to look at the Royal Flying Corps uniforms, and I was amazed at how many they had, racks of them, yet, the RFC display at Hendon, the old workshop set up never changed from the 1970's"........"

 

One wonders if any of it will ever see the light of day, about 15 years ago I was talking to one of the top chaps at Hendon, and he said that they were then refusing anymore offers of RAF uniforms & flying clothing.........they had so much !

 

Thanks for sharing

 

 

 

Jules

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I wouldn't listen to what anyone at Hendon says, they're notorious for making it up as they go along :D

But yes, unless it's fairly modern flying clothing and equipment, the museum isn't interested. Anything from the last, maybe 15-20 years, then they might take an interest because the RAFs policy is that they do not want time expired gear getting back into circulation (either military or civvie) they dump it in big containers to be taken of and destroyed and they don't offer any to other organisations.

As for uniforms, unless it was worn by someone special or related to a special event then, yes the museum has more uniforms than the current RAF!

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Just as a side note , it's always interesting that people call things "museum reserve collection". It is not a reserve collection it is "the collection ". It's just that a museum only normally displays a small part of its collection to the public at one time.

 

The aim of a museum is normally to preserve artefacts, secondly is to display to the public .

 

If you want accurate information about anything in the collection ask some from the "curatorial team". There are always lots of very willing and knowledgable volunteers who are keen to help and answer questions but do not always the museum collection policy's .

 

If you ask some one on the curatorial team of a museum for a copy of the Collections policy and the Accessions and Disposals policy (the A.D & P ). Their hands may be tied and not able to accept items that do not fit into the collection policy .

 

Also beware of some private collections calling themselves a "Museum " . Normally a good private collection will call themselves a "collection". If you wish to donate items to a "museum" ask to see some of their policy's so you know what will happen to your item.

 

Th s could end up a whole other thread , sorry not trying to hijack this thread , nice to see some of the behind the closed door stuff again at Hendon.

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Yep, it's officially called the reserve collection, and if you ever visit, the lads there really know their stuff and can often identify the most random bit of aircraft.

The treasures hidden in there are amazing, stuff that doesn't survive anywhere else!

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