Issue 39 Sept 23 - Journal - Page 6
The Army Flying Museum
Following their successful lecture series and a number
of great family activities, the Army Flying Museum at
Middle Wallop in Hampshire recently invited visitors to
have an opportunity to see ‘behind the scenes’.
Staging their first ‘Access the Archive’ event which was
described by one visitor as “excellent and informative”, it
is sure to be the first of many, with each event focussing
on a different theme.
Visitors were greeted with a drink and informal chat, with
the Museum’s Curator - Susan Lindsay – then giving an
introduction amongst the Royal Flying Corps’ Museum
exhibits within the Museum to set the scene of the
evening, hinting at the more detailed objects and artefacts
that would later be seen in the Archive and sharing some
fascinating stories from the First World War.
Attendees were then led to the Archive room where Kyle
Thomason, the Museum Archivist, and his Assistant
Henry Whitington gave interesting and insightful presentations on three First World War servicemen, showing
previously unseen photographs, documents, diaries, and
artefacts that supported their biographies.
The group were then given the rare chance to visit the
archive storage room at the Museum to see how the vast
collection of records are preserved, with visitors encouraged throughout the evening to ask questions which were
seamlessly answered by the curatorial team and proved to
be a most informative experience for all in attendance.
One visitor said, “Having visited the Army Flying
Museum many times in recent years, this was a fantastic
opportunity to look behind the scenes. The Museum has
such an impressive collection on display and delving into
the archives revealed just how much work goes into
researching and compiling the stories we see today
throughout the hangars.”
The next event is due to take place on 28 September and
will focus on Glider Pilots in Sicily and North Africa and
can be booked via the Museum website at
www.armyflying.com.
The Museum offers a range of services from the Archive
from research visits to transcription services.
More information can be found on their website at
https://armyflying.com/the-collections/the-archive/archive-services/
