Duxford from the North

RE: Officers mess image

Halibag wrote:

Would anyone like to see some of our bunch at play?
Halibag

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Yes please.

Moggy

RE: Officers mess image

Thanks for the info about the outfits Moggy…I shall remember your tip about the spam fritters 🙂

RE: Officers mess image

Hey Moggy,
Dammned jolly good show old chap!
I love the photo, you lucky sod!
I was at a WW2 period wedding at Elvington recently, that was awfully good too! Wonder how many other folk are doing WW2 weddings?
Would anyone like to see some of our bunch at play?
Halibag

RE: Duxford from the North

Thanks for that,
parking moan apart – Duxford is still the best day out. I’ve lost count of the number of times i’ve visited over the years. See you there in 2002 (after a walk!!!)

RE: Duxford from the North

Sorry Mirrors its a crack of dawn start for you if you want to park on the airfield side, and if you have smaller persons with you it really is the only side to be particularly if the heavens open.
You have two options, get yourself off the M11 sooner and come down the A11/A505 route where you run the risk of heavy jams, or go straight past Duxford down to J8 at Stansted turn round and come back again. You can’t get off southbound or get on northwards at J9 so there is no quick fix I’m afraid. It will add about 40 miles to your journey but if you time this to arrive back at Duxford before about 9.15/30 you should encounter no problems with traffic (if it is heavy the police usually give preference to traffic from the M11 at the expense of the folk heading for Duxford westbound on the on the A505 in order to keep the motorway slip roads clear) and you will be parking at the Superhanger end. Much later and you may find yourself at the western end carparks (which means a longer walk to get to the better vantage point of the eastern end) or even over on the officers mess side again 🙁 lovely though the buildings are.
If however you are planning a future visit to say any 75th anniversary Spitfire show, ignore all this advice and time your journey to arrive at the gate at midnight or better still several days before 😉

RE: Officers mess image

The best man (Lanky bugger behind me in the Squadron Leader’s uniform) is a photographer.

Doing a shoot one day he got talking to the client who mentioned he collected uniforms and would hire them out. We got ours, and the WAAF’s and one of the naval uniforms (for my beardy mate) from him.

At the reception we took a collection for the RAFA Wings appeal and sent £200 off to them the following week, the guy who is a RAFA supporter waived the charges.

Most of the others got their clothes from junk shops. Darn sight cheaper and more fun than hiring a dress suit from Moss Bros. The women particularly enjoyed the search!

Here’s a tip. The chef at Duxford does a really great Spam Fritter. Best I’ve ever tasted.

Moggy 🙂

RE: Officers mess image

Moggy…out of interest…where did you find all the uniforms and outfits? They look simply stunning…:)

RE: Officers mess image

That’s a lovely picture Moggy…just like a step back in time :)…

Officers mess image

Never posted an image before, but thought you might like to see it.

Moggy
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RE: Duxford from the North

And I wasn’t absolutely categorically wrong…it’s still not open to the general public ~pedantic grin~

RE: Duxford from the North

Moggy C…correct…I had my 21st birthday do at the Officer’s Mess…and am planning on getting married there too :)…

RE: Duxford from the North

“The Officer’s Mess side of the museum is where the original RAF living quarters where and most of the original buildings remain…this side is NOT open to the public, so airshow days are the only chance you will get to glimpse these buildings…a piece of real, living history…I work on this side of the museum in these buildings and love every minute of it”

WRONG Ashley!

There is another way of seeing that side of the field.

Get married in the Officers Mess.

We did, and it was one of the truly great experiences of my life. We had all assumed 1940 dress for the day. At one point, late in the evening I wandered away from the main party down a dimly lit corridor. The strains of Glenn Miller drifted down over the hubbub of the guests. The sound of my footsteps echoed as I walked, in an authentic WW2 Wing Commander’s uniform, along the same boards that Bader must once have stumped.

Made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, I can tell you.

On the subject of car parking – what’s the problem with parking North Side? Surely the walk to the FlyPast enclosure isn’t that arduous? Or aren’t you a subscriber Mirrors?

Moggy

RE: Duxford from the North

Mirrors…the car park system is currently in place due to the sheer volume of eager airshow goers who come to every Duxford show…visitors from the north are parked on the Officer’s Mess side of the museum so that they can be directed left out of the museum after the show (I’m sure you’ve witnessed first hand the ‘log jam’ after the show has finished as every 15000 people or more all try to go home at the same time!) Visitors who have approached from the north then only have to turn left out of the museum and then left onto the M11…everyone here at Duxford works very hard for each airshow to make sure that the system runs as smoothly as possible and that people spend as little time as possible waiting to exit the museum…

There is no such thing as a ‘plumb’ car parking position at Duxford…it’s not about where you park your car, but more about where you park yourself to watch the show 🙂

Incidentally…did you know that the Officer’s Mess side of the museum is where the original RAF living quarters where and most of the original buildings remain…this side is NOT open to the public, so airshow days are the only chance you will get to glimpse these buildings…a piece of real, living history…I work on this side of the museum in these buildings and love every minute of it 🙂