RAF Museum - WWI exhibits

[LeicesterTiger]

Here's some photos taken over a month ago of the RAF Museums WWI and earlier exhibits - as it's so local to me, if anyone wants any detail photos of an aircraft or exhibit there just let me know, I have a friend who works there so I can get up close to them.

The Claude Grahame White hangar is absolutely fantastic, just how aircraft should be displayed - on their undercarriage, with room around them so you can see all of the airframe, in a hangar. I'll start off with photos of the 1917 officers mess which I now live in, and of the control tower and factory building still surviving despite the building work going on around.

I know Hendon has a lot of faults and gets slated a lot, but it is a fantastic place. One thing I will say though, the excuse about only opening the CGW and Battle of Britain hangar at alternate times because of staffing is rubbish, there was a lot of staff around today despite it being relatively quiet. The upper galleries were unfortunately closed (really wanted to see the WWI exhibits), however about 50 schoolchildren were up there at one point. Sunderland/Walrus/Upper B of B gallery was closed as well, there was a van outside the B of B hall for an exhibition set up company so who knows what's happening in there.

Just to mention, non of the photos have been modified at all except for being resized



1917 built Officers Mess (although I believe at one point it was the London Aerodrome Hotel, probably when it was first built)





My room is one of the ones near the end on the far right of the building





Here's an old photo taken in the section about Hendon in the past (go the end of the historic hangars area where the Hunter is and it's through the doors), sorry for the rubbish quality had to take it on my mobile, but it shows Writtle House pre-WWI



This photo was taken from behind the Claude Grahame White hangar - go through the green gate to the right of the hangar and when you get to the corner, look through the security railing and you can see the old control tower on the building site. Thanks to the museum attendant in the CGW hangar who told me where to go.

[LeicesterTiger]

This photo was taken from Aerodrome Road (you'll probably go down this road to get to the museum), showing the old factory and the control tower



Crest on the factory front, viewable from the road



CGW Hangar



Avro 504 inside the hangar - spent over an hour in their, not just taking photos and looking at exhibits but soaking up the atmosphere. All the lovely WWI and earlier aircraft and vehicles, with the smell of dope and oil, fantastic. Too bad it's only available two hours a day



Caudron engine



Bleriot

[LeicesterTiger]

Bomb release mechanism in front of the Vimy. Presumably a refugee from the upstairs WWI gallery, as well as the vehicles and the WWI model trench diorama, sat on a hand truck behind the Gunbus



Bristol M1c Scout (I like the dragon painted on the side of the fuselage)



Caudron G3





Crossley Tender - gorgeous vehicle, one of the best things about Hendon to me is the vehicles. I remember seeing in an old visitors guide (a 1970-something one) they had a Rolls Royce armoured car - any idea what happened to it?



A selection of WWI engines (I read somewhere the RAF Museum has a Zeppelin engine, presumably in the upper gallery though as I couldn't find it)

[LeicesterTiger]

Ford Model T Tender (couldn't get a decent photo of this because of the way it's positioned)



Vickers FB5 Gunbus, probably my favourite aircraft exhibit



Phelon & Moore motorcycle, the standard RFC motorcycle of WWI



I'm not going to lie, I stole this idea off Kev Panter in the Claude Grahame-White hangar thread. Looks cool though!



Sopwith 1 1/2 'strutter'



Sopwith Pup and Triumph Model H (known as the 'Trusty') Motorcycle

[LeicesterTiger]

The lovely looking SE5A, my childhood favourite



Sopwith Tabloid, designed as a racer then went on to be the first British aircraft to drop a bomb on German soil and destroy a Zeppelin (albeit on the ground)



Sopwith Triplane



My favourite exhibit, the Triumph Model H, used as a despatch riders motorcycle throughout WWI. Apparently you can still get hold of a running example for about £5-6,000



Vickers Vimy, I recently discovered one of these did actually see action in WWI



"There's nothing wrong with the Women's Auxiliary Balloon Corps!" - Blackadder goes Forth

[LeicesterTiger]

Bleriot and airship Gondola



Sopwith Camel, one of the two original Sopwith Camels in London (and the UK?) and both hung up



Fokker DVII



Be2b



Bristol F2b with skin removed on one side



Dh9A

[LeicesterTiger]

How long does it take the RAFM to change a wheel? About three years and counting!



Forward control car of 1919 built airship R33 - not WWI, but the control car was based on the design of Zeppelin L33 that came down in Essex during WWI.

[Patrick]

LT, thanks for the photos!

The Gunbus is one of my favorite early-war planes too; would much appreciate more pictures of it, especially the cockpit and engine area.

thx!

[Sandy Spigot-Colon]

Mr Langham,
I didn't know you lurked in these parts...

The ex Nash Collection Caudron G.III is one of my favourite preserved aeroplanes-ANYWHERE.
When it was committed to the mausoleum it was, I believe airworthy as was the Vickers FB.5 replica.

They should all be moved twenty five miles up the A1 to a proper museum.

S S-C.

[LeicesterTiger]

Yeah, been lurking on here for a while so thought I might as well sign up and get posting. Have to agree with you about sending them to the Shuttleworth, might be a lot harder for me to get to it, but at least they'd be viewable for over two hours a day, and no doubt they'd have kept the Crossley and Ford tender and motorcycles running as well