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Ad Rates / Articles / Classified Ads / Editorial / Home / Links / Showtime   British war museums attract world travellers    List Roy Bassett Next   Britain's war museum tribute to all soldiers By Roy Bassett Nothing brings you emotionally closer to Britain's immense military contribution to two world wars than visits to its war museums.   During a recent vacation to my native England, I again visited two favourite war museums, each requiring a full day to appreciate the scope of the exhibits.   They are the Imperial War Museum Duxford in Cambridgeshire, and the Tank Museum in Bovington, Dorset. Both museums have special Remembrance ceremonies on Nov. 8, with free admission.   The Tank Museum conducts Remembrance ceremonies in association with the British Broadcasting Corp and in 2008 there were 3,000 visitors, including soldiers from a nearby large army barracks.   Throughout the year, the museums draw visitors from around the world.   When visiting the museums, you cannot help but think of the men and women who did so much over the years, using these same vehicles, aircraft and ships and those who spent months in trenches under terrible conditions.   Cambridgeshire's Imperial War Museum The Imperial War Museum, about 50 miles north east of London, is an operational airfield and four times during the day, weather permitting, a Spitfire and Hurricane perform a mini air show for visitors.   Most displays are in seven full-sized hangars spread out over several hundred yards and free transportation runs throughout the day between the hangars.     The first is "AirSpace" and the theme is celebrating British and Commonwealth aviation, with aircraft and interactive displays. Exhibits here include Concorde, Lancaster, Vulcan, Sunderland and the Airborne Assault Museum.   Hangar 2 contains numerous airworthy aircraft, including British and American fighters from WW2, which you may see flying during the summer months.   A slight change of pace in Hangar 3 as this contains a collection of maritime exhibits, including a miniature submarine and motor torpedo boat, together with several Navy airworthy aircraft.   During WW 2, Duxford's main role as a Royal Air Force station was air defense and in Hangar 4 you will see displays of aircraft used for UK air defense and a Battle of Britain exhibition.   The conservation hangar is No. 5, where you may see museum staff working on restoration projects. Many aircraft on display in other hangars started here, some in a very sorry state, but now restored to their former glory.   The next hangar houses the American Air Museum, representing American air power and 20th century conflict. Exhibits include the SR-71 Blackbird and the restored B-24 Liberator.   The final hangar is the Land Warfare Hall, housing the museum's collection of tanks, military vehicles and artillery. It also includes the Royal Anglian and the Cambridgeshire Regiments Museums, as well as the forgotten war exhibition, the Normandy experience and Montgomery's gallery.   The individual displays are too numerous to include in this article, but you will find such things as actor James Stewart's uniform from WW2, a postcard of Jane Russell discovered among the effects of an airman, and displays of WW2 medals.   There is a Victoria Cross and George Cross Gallery, where some of these medals are displayed together with medals awarded to famous individuals.   Overall, you will be impressed with the quality of all the displays and the friendly and informative attitude of the museum staff.   As a senior, my admission charge was 12 pound 80 (about $20) and parking is free.   For more information, visit www.iwm.org.uk/duxford   Bovington's Tank Museum The Tank Museum, which recently underwent an impressive and complete overhaul of all the exhibit areas, has added a new display hall. It is considered to be the world's best collection of tanks, with almost 300 vehicles spanning 100 years. Admission: nine pounds.   "Over the past few years, attendance has averaged 120,00 each year, but thanks to the opening of the new hall (50,000 square feet), the Royal visit and improved marketing strategy the projected attendance for 2009 will be in the area of 170,000," says Michael Bolton, fundraising mnager for the tank museum.   The first tank was introduced into warfare in 1915 by the British in WW1. Bovington has been the home of the tank ever since. This is the only place where many of these rare and historic vehicles can be seen. You will see tanks that saw action in all of the major wars of the 20th Century.   Having visited the museum several times over the years, you can only be impressed by the museum's makeover, including updates of the entire showrooms. There was plenty of space for the display of vehicles and the museum was spotlessly clean.   The area housing the vintage WW1 tanks is amazing. Visitors can actually enter these numerous monsters and get a sense of how the crews performed in tight quarters and engulfed by the noise from the huge engines.   The discomfort must have been extreme while driving over rough ground and at the same time loading and firing the guns inside with none of the comforts of the modern tank.   My respect and admiration for those in the tank crews of those days grew the more I saw the conditions under which they had to fight.   Other highlights include a full-sized King Tiger tank, which was captured in 1944 in France and is quite rare. Only 487 were built. It is one of numerous German tanks on display. British tanks are also well represented.   There is also a section called The Tank Story, where you can follow the tank's story through the 20th Century.   You will also hear stories of those who fought in and against these vehicles, from the trenches in France to the streets of Basra.   Next, you might like to walk in the footsteps of a World War 1 soldier from the recruiting office to the front line. Experience the mud and misery of the trenches and find out why the tank was invented to break the stalemate and even see the first tank attack in history.   The museum boasts of having almost 150 tanks representing 26 countries spanning the 100 years of history. There is also an exhibition about T.E. Lawrence and his time in the Tank Corps and a perfectly reconstructed motorcycle he loved to drive about the Dorset countryside.   There is also an outside area where you will see tanks being driven and how they position themselves in battle. You will have excellent views of the displays from new, banked spectator areas and feel the earth tremble when they pass close by.   If you are in a more adventuress mood, arrange a ride inside a specially converted M548 tracked vehicle. It holds up to 16 people and there is an additional charge for the ride.   The museum doesn't have the large display of medals it used to have. There is a display outlining medals in general, such as what WW1 medals were issued and for what, but nothing personal.   Souvenirs include a model of the King Tiger tank for 3,995 pounds (times 1.72 for Canadian). It is a 1/6th scale all-metal engineering kit designed for completion in 250 to 300 hours.   For additional charges, you can get a tank motor and radio control, two speakers with pre-recorded sound effects of a real tank in action, and even a system designed to fire blank shots.   For more information visit www.tankmuseum.org   It was here in Bovington Camp in 1952 that I spent six weeks on a radio instructor's course. We would drive the Centurion tanks down to Lulworth for target practice on the ranges and even today there are areas where you can park and watch the tanks shooting at targets a mile away.   Remembrance Day This Remembrance Day, buy and wear a poppy and attend a service at your city hall or place where the veterans gather to remember all those who paid the supreme sacrifice with two minute's silence.   It is getting increasingly difficult to accept that so many of our young men and women are putting their lives on the line in a country thousands of miles away, but always hoping that they will all return alive and well. Photos by Roy Bassett   1 - A memorial to those who served in the Royal Armoured Corps.   2 - The legendary U.S. Flying Fortress, the Memphis Belle   3 - Pin-up of actress Jane Russell found in airman's possessions   4 - One of the first tanks, used in WW1   5 - Profile of an airman, with his medals and patches   Roy Bassett is a veteran of the British Army (1950s) and a retired Toronto policeman. He can be reached at ninelancer@gmail.com     Return to top of page   This Is Livin' Publishing © 2010 581 8th Line West, RR1 Hastings, ON, K0L 1Y0 Phone/Fax: 705-696-1833   webmaster