Three rooms at the preserved World War Two airfield have been transformed to offer an insight into how pilots lived during the conflict.
The Pilots’ Briefing Room, Air Crew Room and Pilots’ Locker Room at Historic Duxford in Cambridgeshire feature immersive recreations, newly acquired collection items and never-before-seen objects.
The historic spaces also include the stories of the men and women who served there during World War Two, including American fighter pilot Lonnie Moseley of Duxford’s 78th Fighter Group and British bomber pilot William Jeffrey Rees, who flew two tours with Bomber Command and was twice decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Imperial War Museum curator Adrian Kerrison said: “IWM Duxford is steeped in history. We’re thrilled to finally give visitors the chance to step into new historic spaces and offer a window into what life was like here during World War Two.
“Similar to the Ops Block which opened in 2020, these three new historic rooms are a rare chance for us to showcase some of the smaller objects we have in our collection at IWM Duxford and tell the individual stories of some of the pilots and crew members who operated from here during World War Two.
“It has been a privilege to work on this project, which will give visitors the chance to experience Duxford as it was over 80 years ago.”
What will pupils see?
KS2-4 school groups can explore the recreated spaces at the former RAF fighter station as part of a self-guided visit to explore the aircraft collection as well as tanks, military vehicles and maritime craft.
In the Air Crew Room, located inside the Battle of Britain Hangar, visitors can find out about stories of the US 8th Air Force and RAF Bomber Command through personal objects belonging to pilots and crew. Items include the parachute ripcord, false identity papers and diary belonging to Lonnie Moseley who was forced to bail out of his P-47 Thunderbolt over France in 1944, narrowly escaping death.
The Pilot’s Briefing Room, where where American fighter pilots of the 78th Fighter Group would regularly gather before a mission to receive their orders, features an audio-visual recreation of a pilot’s briefing given on D-Day.
Located at the front of the current Air and Sea exhibition, the Pilot’s Locker Room explores the everyday life of the pilots who were stationed at Duxford in 1940. It features interactive elements including the chance to try on replica uniforms and lockers containing recreated details of some of the pilots who flew from Duxford.
IWM Duxford learning sessions
The historic air base offers two learning sessions for school groups. Documentary Challenge: American Air Museum for KS2-3 takes pupils into IWM’s galleries to explore objects and tell stories from the museum in their own words by creating mini documentaries on the people and objects they feel the world needs to know about. The focus of the tasks can be periods including World War Two and the Cold War.
We Were There: Ask Questions about Conflict is available for KS2-4 and offers pupils the opportunity to meet veterans and eyewitnesses of conflict, from World War Two to today, hearing their personal stories and asking them questions. The sessions have links to English and history and are designed to help pupils understand the impact of war on people’s lives.
For more information about school visits to IWM Duxford, visit www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-duxford.
