ROUGHAM AIR TOWER NEWS

Up and Running

Well, Covid’s grip continues! BUT as the Museum opened in May the response from all our visitors has been tremendous. Six weeks in, group visits, celebrities, aircraft (Vintage Piper Club) – their pilot’s and friends - bringing over 300 plus visitor’s. What a fantastic response to our local ‘gem’. This warrants a very BIG thank you to every visitor. Thank you also for the donations which have been made. The Museum is FREE and relies on your generosity to keep going. Thank you to all the volunteers that have been on hand for you. Last month I highlighted that the airfield is ACTIVE. It has been so busy that the Flight Training School, Skyward is celebrating the success where FOUR students have passed their final tests, two have revallidated, four have passed the Radio (R/T) exams and one has ‘gone solo’. Congratulations to them all. They have also had over 50 visiting aircraft, those on a Sunday dropping in for the tea/coffee with ‘homemade’ cakes! Please, if you are on the airfield (jogging, walking, dog walking) look out for aircraft and keep away from them – STAY SAFE. Writing this article each month gives me the opportunity to review how the airfield operated in the 40’s. I find myself transported back to a time of no electric cars, no central heating, no micro-waves, no computers, no mobile ‘phones – and a lot of other modern items we ‘take for granted’! For over three years American armed forces personnel lived here on the airfield. Billeted in Nissen Huts with a single stove for heating (and boiling the kettle on), working on the aircraft at night (in the dark because of the ‘blackout’) and in the cold of winter – lots of snow! How would you have managed? Could you have lived without your mobile or laptop? This leads me on to Re-enactments – reliving the history of those hard days and times. Another group have visited on Sunday 27th June. 3 Commando D Company “Moonlight Raiders” are a group of enthusiasts who have used the Museum and the grounds to help ‘bring back’ the time very few people experienced. We hope they had a great day with us and visitors enjoyed seen history ‘come alive’. The planned ‘Visit to the Museum’ for aircraft, pilots and vehicles in September will attract visitors and be a special weekend. Plans are moving ahead for this event which will fundraise for the ‘North Weald Airfield Marshallers’ and the Museum. The event two years ago saw 150 aircraft visit over the two days. We are hoping to exceed this, especially if the weather is kind. I finish with my favourite bit – Mention the Cake! Thank you for supporting the Museum, making donations, seeing the new exhibits and enjoying the CAKE! Plenty more to come over the summer months but We Need YOU!!

Sunday’s 10am to 4pm – Tea & Cake!!!! ALL VERY WELCOME

For our details please refer to our website: www.rctam94th.co.uk E-mail info@rctam94th.co.uk Mobile 07931 971771