Events_2018 - Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre

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BBC RADIO Scotland 'Out of Doors' - First World War Remembered
Mark Stephen and Euan McIlwraith, in a programme remembering the First World War, visit Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre and speak to our Curator Dr Dan Paton. This is an except from the full programme which was broadcast on Saturday 10th November 2018. ©2018 BBC

Remembrance Service

On Friday 9th November a moving Remembrance Service was held at the Heritage Centre for all personnel who died while serving with the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Air Force at Montrose through two World Wars. 100 people attended the service which was conducted by Rev Dr Ian McLean with speeches by Georgiana Osborne, Lord Lieutenant for Angus and Ron Morris, Chairman. Curator, Dr Dan Paton spoke about the Roll of Honour Project being undertaken by the Heritage Centre with a lot of the research being carried out by young people. Nearly 200 poppy crosses were on display, each one bearing the details of a person killed at RFC/RAF Montrose.

Also at the ceremony was Dr John Todd, great grandson of Captain John Todd a WWI fighter ace who flew Sopwith Camels. Our replica Sopwith Camel was a fitting backdrop to the event having been restored as B7320 which was flown by Captain Todd in 1918.

Rememberance Service Programme

Rememberance Service conducted by Rev Dr Ian McLean

Poppy Display and Crosses

Dr John Todd grandson of WWI fighter ace Captain John Todd

Replica Sopwith Camel B7320 as flown by Captain John Todd

Sopwith Camel B7320 with B.E.2a in background

ONE OF OUR AIRCRAFT IS MISSING ?

Where is it?

Our 'Red Lichtie' Spitfire Mk.Vb replica has taken off to Glasgow to become part of the RAF100 Aircraft Tour at the Glasgow Science Centre at Pacific Quay. The organisers wanted the MASHC replica as it is in the squadron livery of 602 Squadron (City of Glasgow) aircraft No EP121 named ‘Red Lichtie’, after the people of Arbroath who during WW2 started a ‘Spitfire Fund’ to raise £5,000 and purchase a Spitfire to help with the war effort.

A team from the Joint Aircraft Recovery and Transportation Squadron (JARTS) at Boscombe Down arrived to remove the wings and transport the aircraft to Glasgow.

After successfully taking part in the RAF100 display at Glasgow the Spitfire was safely returned to its place at the Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre by the RAF JARTS team.

The Red Lichtie leaving Montrose

The RAF100 Aircraft Tour is a free public display of iconic aircraft in city locations around the country and Glasgow is hosting a display of aircraft through the ages, from WWI planes to present day, from 31st August–2nd September outside the Glasgow Science Centre to mark the centenary of the RAF.

On display are a Sopwith Snipe, Spitfire, Harrier 'jump jet' and the latest F35 Lightning, complete with crews in the uniform of each period who will be there to answer questions.

The RAF hope to inspire the next generation of Scientists, Technologists, Engineers and Mathematicians and will bring a large interactive STEM exhibit to Millennium Square. Along with hosting this exciting display outside, there will be a large number of RAF and industry professionals showcasing their work in a range of STEM careers from emergency medicine to space exploration.

Arriving at Glasgow

RAF100 Aircraft Tour Glasgow
If you build it, they will come. The #RAF100 Aircraft Tour and #STEM event will be at the Glasgow Science Centre from 31st August - 2nd September. Entry is free and don't forget to download and use the RAF100 Flypast app!
Posted by Royal Air Force on Thursday, 30 August 2018

On display Glasgow - RAF tweet

Visitors to the #RAF100 Aircraft Tour will meet our fantastic reenactors who bring the history of the iconic aircraft to life. Today's your last chance to see the Spitfire and see the reenactors for yourself. Gates open at 9am and entry is FREE! https://t.co/Fnul6mWA6Q pic.twitter.com/HxeMZCiGOR
— Royal Air Force (@RoyalAirForce) 2 September 2018

The Red Lichtie Spitfire arriving at Glasgow to go on display at the RAF100 Aircraft tour. ©The Herald

Sir Stephen Hillier, Chief of the Air Staff, standing next to our Red Lichtie Spitfire at the RAF100 Aircraft Tour outside the Glasgow Science Centre on August 31, 2018.

Sir Stephen Hillier, Chief of the Air Staff, standing next to our Red Lichtie Spitfire. ©The Herald

Visit from CEO of RAF Museum/ President of the Museums Association

Maggie Appleton, CEO of RAF Museum and President of the Museums Association, paid a welcome visit to the Heritage Centre in August to hear about its plans for the future. She was accompanied by the assistant curator at the RAF Museum, Clare Carr and spent several hours looking at the exhibitions and aircraft as well as discussing beneficial lines of communication and assistance with the chairman Ron Morris.

Ron Morris with Clare Carr, Maggie Appleton and Alan Doe in front of our BE2a

Diorama of RAF Montrose circa 1940

Maggie and Clare meet archivist Marjory in our purpose built archive office

Juls Stevenson, project manager for the Sopwith Camel rebuild with Clare and Maggie

To view the event poster please click HERE

The event was a great success with over 2,000 people visiting the Heritage Centre and the fly-in. Good weather on the Saturday saw 37 aircraft landing and the sight of those aircraft flying in and out was an impressive one. Unfortunately the weather on Sunday was not as kind and aircraft could attend. Despite the rain the Heritage Centre was still busy and the feedback from visitors was very positive.

The Heritage Centre participated once again in the popular Museums Galleries Scotland 'Festival of Museums' 2018 event.

Over the weekend the public were welcomed free of charge to visit the museum and enjoy the great exhibits and experiences we have to offer.

Flyer for the Festival of Museums Weekend

The exhibition was formally opened on Friday, May 18th, 2018 by Susan Wilson, Principal Officer of the U.S. Consulate General in Scotland before an invited audience. The exhibition formally marked the centenary of a series of marriages of local women to American servicemen towards the end of the First World War. It was a happy story of love set against the tragic backdrop of World War One. In the final year of the Great War a number of young women in Montrose took a brave step that would totally change their lives.

They married men who had travelled thousands of miles across the sea to their small town in Scotland. They left their families and friends with little possibility of ever seeing them again, to live with husbands they hardly knew. They set up homes all over America from California to New England in towns and cities that were very different from the Scotland they had left and which few of them ever saw again.

This exhibition remembers them.

'Annie' Arrives

An iconic aircraft of the Second World War has arrived at Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre. The Avro Anson, a Mk. C19, No. TX226 was built at Yeadon in 1946 and will undergo a rebuild by a team of the centre’s volunteer engineers in our new restoration workshop.

This will be the second recent acquisition of an important WWII aircraft for the Heritage Centre. Last year the Heritage Centre took delivery of a Miles M.2H Hawk Major, one of only two examples of the type in Britain.

The Avro Anson was an important aircraft with large numbers serving in a variety of roles for the Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm, Royal Canadian Air Force and numerous other air forces before, during, and after the Second World War. Ansons of Coastal Command were based at Montrose from 1939.

Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre chairman Ron Morris said “The arrival of the Anson will make a significant contribution to our endeavours to show the aircraft that once flew from Montrose, Scotland’s contribution to the RAF, and our efforts to preserve the past for future generations.”

The Heritage Centre is an independent museum managed by award winning volunteers and is entirely self financing. You can really help the project by making a donation to help restore this iconic British aircraft. PLEASE DONATE HERE

Avro Anson TX266 arrives at Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre

Avro Anson TX266 wings going into restoration building

Avro Anson TX266 lining up to go into restoration building

Avro Anson TX266 moving into its new home

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Avro Anson TX226 - Flying Training Command Communications Squadron at RAF White Waltham in 1962 (Photo credit: Robin A Walker)

Ansons of Coastal Command were based at Montrose from 1939 and throughout the Second World War, operating with 269 Squadron flying reconnaissance patrols up the east coast.
Flying from Montrose, Flt Sgt Tony Reen (later Flt Lt) was on 269 Squadron when war broke out, flying Ansons on patrols in the North Sea. On February 23rd 1940 he successfully attacked and sunk an enemy submarine off Cape Wrath. Tony Reen DFM was a founder member at the Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre and a display case at the centre features his uniform and medals, which include Norway’s highest gallantry award – the War Cross with Sword. On leaving the RAF after the war, Tony settled in Montrose with his wife Muriel.
With 10,996 built, the Anson had an extremely long service life. The Anson entered RAF service in March 1936 and remained in use until 1968. Initially it was flown with a 3-man crew but later developments in its reconnaissance role required a 4th crew member. In addition to coastal patrol and training roles, Ansons also provided support for the Air Transport Auxiliary.

1st April 2018 – Centenary of the Royal Air Force

On 29th November 1917 the Air Force (Constitution) Act received Royal Assent and became law. That Act created an Air Force and the Air Council in recognition of the growing importance of air power in defence and the Royal Air Force, the world’s first independent air force, came into being on 1st April 2018.

To mark the proud occasion the heritage centre held a short ceremony during which the RFC flag was lowered and the RAF flag raised by members of the local Air Training Corps. Two wreaths were laid at the Commemorative Stone by Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre veterans Peter Davies and Brian Crozier, one for the Royal Flying Corps and one for Royal Air Force, in commemoration of all who served at RFC/RAF Montrose.

Click picture to view..

2018 has a special significance as 100 years ago on 1st April 1918, the Royal Air Force was established. Formed from the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service it is the oldest independent air force in the world and was, at the end of World War One, the largest in the world. Since its formation, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history, in particular, playing a vital part in the Second World War where it fought its most famous campaign, the Battle of Britain. Many of the pilots and aces who fought in that battle were trained at Montrose

Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre is proud of its connections with the RAF both then and now and stands in remembrance to the brave men and women who have served in both the RFC and RAF. 2018 stands to be a proud year for us as well as we acquire a new aircraft and also take part in events to commemorate and celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Royal Air Force.