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The Yorkshire Air Museum Re-Affirms Allied Air Forces Memorial European Status

The Yorkshire Air Museum was able to re-affirm the European status of The Allied Air Forces Memorial this week. Located in the grounds of the Museum, the memorial is part of an ongoing, 35 year old quest to honour the memory of the Allied Air Forces of World War Two and subsequently in conflicts around the world.

Museum Director Barbara George commented, “While Britain may no longer be part of the EU, we will always have strong bonds with our European friends. So it’s with great pride that we are able to re-affirm this link by the affirmation and renewal of the Allied Air Forces EU Trademark.

“Our European friends mean a lot to us. Over the past few years, our Memorial team has been involved in high profile commemorative and partnership events not only in Elvington and throughout Britain but also in France, the Netherlands and Poland. The common theme has been the respect and value of international partnerships. Now more than ever, it is essential that we embrace unity to display strength and cohesion in the face of global adversity.”

Museum Director Barbara George with Archbishop John Sentamu and members of Allied Air Forces

In recognition of the status of the museum and memorial, funding was granted by the National Heritage Lottery Fund and the Arts Council’s Culture Recovery Grant to assist the museum through the current COVID global crisis.

This means that despite being closed to the public through several lockdown periods, the memorial and museum have been lucky to be able to continue precious maintenance and exhibition work.

Plans are now well under way to reopen the Museum and Memorial for the season this Easter to repeat the success of welcoming visitors back after the lockdown of 2020.

Barbara added: “When our museum reopens in Spring, we will be unveiling a brand new exhibition celebrating the diversity of the allied air forces. It will include stories about the thousands of men and women of Caribbean descent as well as from Eastern Europe who joined the Royal Air Force as aircrew and ground crew during WWII. Far too often their contribution has been overlooked over the years and this is our way of honouring them.”

If you are a journalist and require more info about this story don’t hesitate to email pr@yorkshireairmuseum.org

Blackburn Mercury Monoplane 1911 (Replica) AH (BAPC) 130 YAM Jan.1995

The Blackburn Mercury Monoplane is regarded as the first truly successful aircraft made by Blackburn at their factory in Leeds. The Mercury I, powered by a 50 hp Isaacson radial engine, was displayed at the Olympia Aero Show in March 1911 and made its debut flying from the beach at Filey with the newly formed Blackburn Flying School. In May 1911, it flew from Filey to Scarborough and back in 19 minutes at an average speed of 50 mph, reaching an altitude of 1200 feet.
This aircraft crashed the next day when the engine seized and the propeller flew off! The Mercury I was followed by two Mercury II aircraft powered by 50 hp Gnome engines, and six Mercury III aircraft, with a number of different engines. Sadly, a Renault powered Mercury crashed at Filey in December 1911, killing an instructor and passenger.
The Museum’s replica was built for Yorkshire Television in 1979 for the Edwardian drama series ‘Flambards’, and was taxied with a car engine. It came to YAM on 10th January 1995 and after a long period in storage it was painstakingly restored to a superb display standard, and was unveiled in June 2000 by Professor Robert Blackburn, grandson of Robert Blackburn, the aviation pioneer.

AVRO 504K ‘H1968’ (Replica) AH (BAPC) 42 YAM Oct. 1994

The Avro 504 first flew in 1913. In the opening phases of the First World War, it served with front-line squadrons in the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service for bombing and reconnaissance, but from 1915 onwards the aircraft entered the training role for which it is most celebrated.

Over 8,000 Avro 504s were built. In 1918, the Royal Air Force had about 3,000, of which 2,276 were trainers.

The Avro 504 was stationed at many Yorkshire airfields, including Tadcaster near the A1/A64 junction, where a period hangar can still be seen.

The Yorkshire Air Museum’s replica was built by apprentices at RAF Halton and appeared at the Royal Tournament in 1968 to commemorate what was then fifty years since the end of the First World War. The aircraft was refurbished in early 2015 to be transported to Thiepval, Northern France, for the Somme Centenary commemoration event, on request of the British Government. In May 2018, it was also displayed at the impressive Hotel Les Invalides in central Paris for a joint RAF / French Air Force event to mark the Centenary of the Royal Air Force and over 100 years of British and French Air Force collaboration.