I may be wrong but I reckon it is the vital piece of equipment used in the standard AML Bombing Trainer building found on the dispersed Instructional Site of many WW2 RAF OTU airfields. Quite a few of these distinctive 2-storey buildings survive but I know of none with their original equipment still fitted. I think the moving map at Old Warden is post-war (possibly from Thurleigh/Bedford) but the Museum of Flight at East Fortune did have a large original ex AML BT moving map which I saw in store there in the 1980s. Maybe they still have it?

Agreed – but its a long story why it has taken this long. When I first started exploring this previously neglected aspect of historic aviation in the early 1980s, very few took the situation seriously and only a very small number of pre-WW2 buildings (eg at Croydon, Hendon and Duxford) were Listed.

Even though Listing does not guarantee the survival of any building, it is an important process and it is now very gratifying to see English Heritage, the DCMS and other official bodies (even the RAF and MoD) recognising the significance of aircraft hangars, control towers and other structures.

For the record, Brooklands has both a Tallboy (as seen in Kilvy’s pics), a Grand Slam (now displayed next to the Wellington) and a 4,000 prototype earthquake bomb used in spinning trials.

Apart from Dizzy’s test flying and air displays, I believe he also flew aeroplanes in quite a few aviation films/war movies (eg The Blue Max, The Dirty Dozen, Biggles) – can anyone supply a list of all these?

Some further details are given here:- http://www.culture.gov.uk/global/press_notices/archive_2005/DCMS_171.htm

Not quite clear which specific buildings are affected at each airfield mentioned though……but even so, this is a very significant development in the preservation of England’s decreasing number of historic airfield buildings – never have so many been listed at one time before!

DaveT,

Try contacting them with details of what’s needed to update your entry and you should find them v receptive.

Hi 1 Gp,

Have you heard of or even considered joining the Airfield Research Group? They have a good website and an excellent magazine ‘Airfield Review’ which is read by many interested in and knowledgeable on airfield histories…..