A few thoughts…

The other thing it really needs is to have the exhibits shuffled around so they are in some sense of chronological order once again, the present jumble is illogical and makes no sense whatsoever.

I must confess I haven’t been to Hendon since Milestones Hall or GW Factory were opened, but even before that the loss of the excellent old “side gallery” exhibits, and the relocation of some of the airframes into the BofB Hall and Bomber Command Hall meant that the historical “pathway” around the exhibits that was so strong when RAFM was first opened seemed to have been lost… the BofB hall was/is okay, as it covers a short period of time, as (I assume) does the Graeme White Factory/WW1 element, but the Bomber Command Hall covers everything from WW1 to present day(ish) in itself, as does Milestones of Flight, meaning the content of the original Museum building must now seem rather arbitary, with great gaps in the “timeline”?

Maybe it’s time to put one WW1 airframe, one BofB airframe and one or two ‘bombers’ from different periods back into the main halls, to allow visitors to follow a timeline through the exhibits, with clear signage by them to indicate that “More about WW1 (or BofB, or RAF Bombers ) can be seen in the GW Building, (or BofB hall, or BC Hall elsewhere on site)” etc?

Space will always be an issue, especially as (hopefully) new airframes are restored and added to the display at intervals, but casual visitors (rather than enthusiasts) need to be able to see, understand and follow the chronologial development of the RAF and it’s aircraft as they walk around, if they come away feeling they missed something, or couldn’t see a logic to the way the aircraft were arranged then the museum may have failed them.

Of course, another option is to dispense with any form of chronological “route”, and instead arrange airframes purely on basis of best use of available space – that approach seems to work reasonably well in Duxford’s ‘Superhangar’ space and in the American Airmuseum there too?

Or, grouping aircraft by primary role rather than age might be better than trying to maintain a single ‘time-line’ given the somewhat “bitty” nature of Hendon’s exhibition space? In each group of airframes development and progression from PreWW1 through to present day would allow people to grasp the huge advances in technology and capability in 100years (in effect mirror the approach used in the current Bomber Command Hall in a number of other “role-related” sub-sections set up within the original display halls).

IMHO there needs to be a definite chronological pattern/order as you walk around a museum or no chronological order at all, there’s nothing worse than a part-baked attempt at a chronological arrangement.

Whatever they do they won’t be able to please all of the people all of the time…. As David says, hopefully a wide consulation of enthusiasts, casual visitors, and also of people who haven’t yet visited but who might(aren’t they the ones RAFM needs to attract most?)might see a consensus, or at worst a majority, opinion to work from.

“Spin”-based as much as fact-based?

Good question…..who is the threat level for? Why make it so public?

Sounds like an announcement driven as much by “spin doctoring” as by any specific covert intelligence. And, as others have said, it could well also be the first PR step in ramping up justification for military action when that decision has to be taken. Its a bit of a “win/win” strategy, whereas sayign nothing might leave HMG very susceptible to adverse PR by the oppostion if the wrost occurred.

With a UK general election drawing ever closer the ‘spin-doctors’ will be doing all they can to avoid their party being seen to have been caught on the back foot should a terrorist act occur.

Picture the following scenario:

No specific threats have been received, and no major plots identified by intelligence organisations, but HMG realise that there is an ever-increasing (but still small) risk that an individual or a small group, who may well be below the intelligence services’ radar, decide to perform a “lone wolf” act of barbarism/terrorism within the UK.

Say nothing and if an event were to occur HMG will immediately be accused, by populist media and opposition parties, of having failed to protect the UK population from those nasty jihadists .

But, raise the alert level “just in case”, and HMG can never be accused of not having warned the population, can they? If something did kick-off, HMG can say, with a clean(ish) conscience – “Well, we did warn everyone that the risk had increased, but that we had no knowledge of any specific plot….”.

Many in UK will have lived through earlier “high risk periods”, and/or will have seen the media coverage/aftermath of assorted attrocities that have been perpertrated on UK mainland over the last fifty or so years. Hopefully for most people in UK the announcement makes no real difference to the way we live our daily lives, as the risk from terrorism is probably still far lower than the risk of being run over by a bus or car as we cross the road. For those who work in careers where the risk is higher by virtue of their job, or where their roles help reduce the risks to the wider population, then the heightened security state will help remind them of the need for extra vigilance.

Hi DCK

Please check your PM’s.

Paul F

Hello Paul.

Could you give it a check for me?

Hi DCK,

Sorry, missed your post last night. I will look at all 3 tonight/over the weekend and get back to you – are you looking for detail of anything in particular, or just general background/history?

Cheers
Paul F

DCK, I presume you’ve had a look at the relevant volumes from the “Actions Stations” and “Action Stations Revisited” series of books, and also at “Hampshire Airfields in the Second World War”?

I assume there are entries for Worth Down in all three books, though they are probably fairly superficial given the nature of each book series. Let me know if you want me to check my copies of each when I get home tonight.

Paul F

Hi David,

yes I believe they are both Wapitis

Cheers
Paul F

Looks like a Westland Wapiti to me?

Sorry, beyond that others will probaby be able to tell you full details.