Three rooms at the preserved wartime airfield have been transformed with historic objects and interactive elements to present the life of pilots during World War Two.
Historic Duxford in Cambridgeshire explores the active role the airfield played in the conflict and the lives of those who lived and served there through the Pilots’ Briefing Room, Air Crew Room and Pilots’ Locker Room spaces
The transformed rooms feature immersive recreations, newly acquired collection items and never-before-seen objects, along with the stories of the men and women who served there.
IWM 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.”
What’s included
In Historic Duxford: Air Crew Room, located inside the Battle of Britain Hangar, visitors can explore stories of the US 8th Air Force and RAF Bomber Command through personal objects belonging to former pilots and crew.
Among the stories is that of American fighter pilot Lonnie Moseley of Duxford’s 78th Fighter Group. He was forced to bail out of his P-47 Thunderbolt over France in 1944, narrowly escaping death as he free-fell from the sky, before ending up taking shelter with a local French farmer’s family until it was safe enough to return to England. Items donated by Lonnie’s family on display include his parachute ripcord, false identity papers created to help him evade capture and his diary.
Located across from the Air Crew Room, is Historic Duxford: Pilot’s Briefing Room where fighter pilots of the 78th Fighter Group would regularly gather before a mission to receive their orders. An audio-visual recreation of a briefing given on D-Day has been created in the room using archive images from IWM’s collection.
Historic Duxford: Pilot’s Locker Room is located at the front of the current Air and Sea Exhibition and explores the everyday life of the pilots who were stationed at Duxford in 1940. Before reopening, the space had been closed to the public since World War Two.
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. Visitors can also listen to pilots’ conversations, including between 19 Squadron’s George ‘Grumpy’ Unwin and 302 (Polish) Squadron’s Julian Kowalski.
Group visits to IWM Duxford
The former military airfield welcomes groups of 15 or more for self-guided visits or private tours booked in advance.
Tours options include The Spitfire - exploring Duxford’s link to the world’s most famous fighter aircraft; The Battle of Britain – discovering how Duxford helped win the Battle of Britain; and The 78th Fighter Group – learning about Duxford as an American fighter base during World War Two.
For more information about IWM Duxford, visit www.iwm.org.uk.
