Issue 38 Summer web 23 - Flipbook - Page 6
Scarf medal arrives
at RAF Museum
The Royal Air Force Museum is proud to announce the success of our campaign to keep the
Arthur Scarf Victoria Cross and medal bar in the UK and on display at our London site
The Victoria Cross awarded to Squadron Leader Arthur
Scarf for his bravery during the Second World War is a
unique and rare artefact which shares the story of the
RAF in the Far East.
This important part of history was under risk of being lost
to the nation after being sold at auction to a private overseas buyer. With the help of the National Heritage
Memorial Fund, generous donations from the public and
other charities, and coverage in the press, the RAF
Museum has now matched the £660k winning auction
bid in order to keep the medals in the UK.
Maggie Appleton, RAF Museum CEO, said: ‘A heartfelt
thank you to every single person who supported us.
Whether you donated or shared our campaign with
friends and family, we couldn’t have done this without
you. To have raised £660,000 in three months is simply
amazing. Special thanks to the National Heritage
Memorial Fund for their major donation of £390k, and
to our good friends at the RAFHS and the Bomber
Command Association. We will be displaying Arthur’s
Medal at our London site this summer and will also make
short tour of our Midlands site. So come and visit and
discover more about this remarkable story.’
Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive of the National
Heritage Memorial Fund, said: ‘I am delighted that the
RAF Museum’s campaign to acquire Arthur Scarf’s
Victoria Cross has been successful and that the National
Heritage Memorial Fund has been able to support this
important acquisition with a grant of £390,000. The
National Heritage Memorial Fund works to safeguard
the UK’s most significant heritage and form a lasting
memorial to those who gave their lives. This rare and
unusual medal, which will now form part of the national
collection, perfectly encapsulates what NHMF stands for.
