Project News as of February 2012

Programme of Open Days:

The Heritage Room will be open to the public on the following days this year:

Sunday the 8th of April (Easter Sunday) and Monday the 9th of April;

Sunday the 6th of May, Monday the 7th of May and Sunday the 27th of May;

Sunday the 24th of June;

Sunday the 29th of July;

Sunday the 26th of August and Monday the 27th of August;

and Sunday the 30th of September, when we also plan to mark the 50th Anniversary of the closure of RAF Bircham Newton (see below)

Please come along and see us if you can. We will be open as usual from 11am until 5pm and entrance is free.

50th Anniversary Celebrations:

The 50th anniversary of the closure of RAF Bircham will occur in December 2012. We therefore plan to mark this anniversary during the final open day planned for the 30th of September. Although the event is still being planned, we hope to organise a flypast and perform a 'Beating Retreat' ceremony similar to the one performed in December 1962. There will also be other things to enjoy, including military music performed by a local band. We anticipate that several RAF veterans will attend, including former RAF administrative apprentices, who participated in the original closing ceremony. More details will be published as soon as they become available.

Recent Activities:

Many new improvements have been made to the Heritage Room, with lots of new exhibits and photographs.  Michael Condra and other members of the West Norfolk IPMS (Scale Model Club) presented the Heritage Room with several new aircraft models on special display bases. These models, ranging from early biplanes associated with No. 3 Fighting School through to WW2 monoplanes, are now on display for all to enjoy.  

Mrs. Rene Chamberlain, from Heacham, who had recently celebrated her 100th birthday, donated a 119 Squadron plaque painted by her late father, Frank Walter Coe, who served in the Royal Flying Corps as an aircraft mechanic during WWI. The plaque is painted on the canvas used to cover the wings and fuselage of the ancient biplanes flown at that time. Although we don't believe that the plaque was adopted as an official squadron badge, it is a very interesting artifact from a bygone age.

A new reading room has also been established to allow visitors to study written documents in a quiet environment; a small library of aviation books is also being established in this new facility.

Lest we Forget: To commemorate Remembrance Day, wreaths were laid at the RAF memorials at Bircham Newton and Docking on behalf of the Memorial Project. The photograph (above) shows project staff laying a wreath at the RAF Bircham Newton memorial.

School Visit: Pupils from King George VI School, Great Bircham (left) display their best salutes during a visit to the Heritage Room and Memorial in mid November. The pupils, who were members of a key stage 2 class of 7-11 year olds, visited with their teacher, Mrs Poucher, as part of a study topic about World War 2 being covered during their second Autumn half term.

Radio Norfolk's Treasure Quest: The Radio Norfolk Treasure Quest team visited the Heritage Room in August. This popular Sunday morning radio show stars Becky Betts and her radio car driver, Ian Forster, who drive around the county attempting to locate treasure by following cryptic clues helped by the BBC Radio Norfolk listeners and a studio presenter, usually David Clayton. On this occasion, the fifth and final clue led Becky and Ian to the Heritage Room, where the booty - a piece of paper containin the word 'TREASURE' - was hidden under a RAF officer's hat.

The following photographs show Becky (with microphone) inside the Heritage Room. The Treasure Quest team was hosted by trustees Keith Benn, Denise Goff and Avril MacArthur, who are shown with Becky in the second photograph.

As a follow-up to the Treasure Quest visit, trustees David Jacklin and Denise Goff appeared as guests on Radio Norfolk's 'David and Becky' show in late August. This provided an opportunity for an in-depth discussion about the RAF Bircham Newton Memorial Project and upcoming Heritage Room open days with David Clayton and Becky Betts.

Bircham Newton Redevelopment Activities:

As part of Bircham Newton's redevelopment plans, E-Block (the former Britain Block) was recently demolished to make room for new facilities. On hearing of its imminent demise, a small group of former RAF apprentices recently returned to Bircham Newton to take one last look at their old barrack block. The apprentices had all been accommodated in Britain Block when they were undergoing their RAF apprenticeships approximately fifty years ago. The visitors were hosted by Project Manager Bill McGonagle and a ConstructionSkills trainee, Brad Delfino. The following photograph shows the ex-apprentices posing as members of a demolition gang. At the rear of the group (L to R) are Barrie Loftus (41st entry), John Nash (38th entry) and Chris Rowe (38th entry). In the front (L to R) are Bill McGonagle, Brad Delfino and William 'Dixie' Dean (40th entry).

Project Talks:

As part of the ongoing effort to promote the unique history of RAF Bircham Newton and its satellite airfields, several illustrated talks have been given in local village halls and to clubs and other interested parties around East Anglia. If you would like the project staff to give an illustrated talk to your club or association, in return for a small project donation, please contact us.