After many days of Yorkshire rainfall leading up to Remembrance Sunday, it was refreshing to see such a bright, mild and sunny Sunday morning as we gathered for Remembrance Sunday. The first ceremony took place at the French Memorial in Elvington Village, where the Parade of Scouts, Cubs, Guides, Brownies and Beavers, largely drawn from nearby Elvington and Sutton on Derwent, joined us at the Groupes Lourds Memorial on the outskirts of the village. This unique Memorial, inaugurated by the … [Read more...]

To celebrate the 80th Anniversary of the Handley Page Halifax bomber, here at the Yorkshire Air Museum, we invited current RAF Pilot Flt Lt Daniel Whatmough and WW2 Veteran Pilot, Flt Lt George Dunn DFC (97), together with the RAF Benevolent Fund, to visit one of the only surviving Halifax bombers in the world here at Elvington. George began his RAF career in 1941 at RAF Chatham careers office in Kent while Dan began his at the same Careers Office some 65 years later. George went on to … [Read more...]

Anyone who has visited the museum this summer will know that our team of guides and stewards are amongst the very first people you will see as you arrive at our gates. The Museum's team of volunteers come from all walks of life and, very often, they are not actually from a military or even aviation background. However, we caught up with one of the volunteer stewards that joined us this year to learn more about what he loves so much about being with us each week. He's called Jeff McGrew and … [Read more...]

We were simply stunned by the response to this year’s 999 Emergency Services Day. After a busy summer holiday season, it was wonderful to see so many people patiently queueing at the Museum gates last Sunday to join us in meeting the emergency response services of Great Britain. We would like to thank the incredibly diverse range of emergency services teams who travelled from across the country to be with us on the day. Your support is truly amazing and judging by some of the entertaining … [Read more...]

Sunday 1st September was a day that the Chairman of The Yorkshire Air Museum, Martin Withers declared ‘the most important date in our Calendar’. Allied Air Forces Memorial Day took on a new direction this year as the Museum revealed it's fresh direction and purpose. "To honour, educate and inspire." This year's Allied Air Forces Memorial Day - image via Charlotte Graham Museum Director Barbara George explained, "On Sunday, I told our guests that we made a commitment 34 years ago to … [Read more...]

Quite probably the most famous aircraft in the Museum collection is Handley Page Halifax Friday the 13th. The only complete example of the aircraft in Europe, the Halifax may not be quite as famous as the Avro Lancaster, however thousands of visitors each year enjoy learning more about this important aircraft. So we were especially proud recently when a visitor with a very special connection to the Halifax chose to visit us unannounced for a personal family day out, as the current Lord … [Read more...]

On July 20th 2019, the Yorkshire Air Museum's Chair of Trustees Martin Withers flew to Austria to be inducted into the Living Legends of Aviation. Created in 2003, The Living Legends of Aviation are admirable people of remarkable accomplishment including: entrepreneurs, innovators, astronauts, pilots. Awards are held annually in the USA and Europe, with John Travolta presenting the European awards this summer in Austria. The award is not something to apply for. Recipients are nominated by … [Read more...]

Each summer, we welcome students of engineering from across Europe. Belgian student, Katleen Verhoeven spent some time with the Museum in the summer of 2011. We caught up with her in 2019, seven years later to find out how her career had progressed. Here's what Katleen told us: As far as I can remember I was passionate about everything that was able to fly, from planes to rockets and even hot air balloons, but more precise the classical, old aircrafts. So the most logical step for me was to … [Read more...]

Le 1er juin 2019, alors que l’Europe entière commémorait le 75ème anniversaire du Débarquement en Normandie, le Yorkshire Air Museum et Mémorial des Forces Aériennes Alliées à Elvington en Angleterre, nommait Madame Barbara George Directrice du Musée et du Mémorial. C’était vraisemblablement un moment poignant pour prendre ses fonctions, voyant le musée et mémorial s’embarquer dans une nouvelle ère de développement et d’initiatives exaltantes tant sur la scène locale que régionale et … [Read more...]

On the 1st of June 2019, The Yorkshire Air Museum welcomed a new Director. Barbara George began her role as the Director of The Yorkshire Air Museum and Allied Air Forces Memorial, as countries across Europe gathered to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D Day landings.  It was perhaps a poignant moment in time to be assuming the role, as the Museum moves forwards into a new era of development and exciting new initiatives, both locally, regionally and internationally. It's been a … [Read more...]

In 2017, Belgian student Kobe Geerts was with us for six weeks as part of his studies in Aviation Technology from Ostend. We caught up with him in June 2019 to chat about his experiences at The Yorkshire Air Museum and how his career in technology and engineering was working out. Here's his guest blog post. My journey started 5 years ago. I was 19 years old and aviation was kind of an addiction to me. It was clear that I wanted to do something in this industry, so I started Aviation … [Read more...]

"What is it like inside the cockpit?" It's a subject we have been asked many times over the years and on Sunday 2nd of June, we were finally able to show everyone what exactly is inside the cockpits of a selection of the Museum's aircraft. Our very first Open Cockpits Day proved to be incredibly popular and we would like to thank everyone who came along to enjoy a day of exploring our cockpits, especially for those who had to queue a little while to climb aboard their favourite. If the … [Read more...]

On the 16th of May 1944, a French Tricolour flag was raised in the centre of RAF Elvington and a grainy black and white photograph was created. It marked the day that No 346 'Guyenne" Squadron was officially formed here in what are now the grounds of the Museum. The following month they were joined by No 347 "Tunisie" Squadron. From that date until the end of World War Two, the two French Squadrons flew from RAF Elvington in Halifax Mk III bombers alongside The Royal Air Force to liberate … [Read more...]

Against The Odds 2019 was the third year of welcoming the amazing re-enactor crews, dancers and singers to the Museum. The weekend was truly inspirational as visitors of all ages filled the Museum to capacity and we all enjoyed the wonderful atmosphere in the sunshine. The Team of Against The Odds 2019 The theme this year was, of course, D Day so we were especially proud to welcome a group of wonderful D Day veterans on the Sunday. Our re-enactor teams are amazing, however it is truly … [Read more...]

In a world where 52% of the population is made up of women, we are truly fortunate that in Europe in 2019, women are no longer considered as merely taking on a ‘support’ role to men. Today, women serve in front line positions alongside their male counterparts as never before. It is now over 100 years since women were granted the right to the vote in the UK. In some other countries, this happened much later, such as France in April 1944. Although obtaining women’s suffrage was a great … [Read more...]

In the early hours if the morning of April 29th, 1942, German bombers attacked York. Often referred to as the York Blitz, the attack took place at 2:36am on Tuesday 29th April 1942, when some 40 German Luftwaffe bombers crossed the East coast of England between Flamborough Head and Hornsea, with their sights set firmly on the historic City of York. In retaliation to the British bombing of the historic city of Lübeck in 1942, Germany launched a series of attacks on English cities which came to be … [Read more...]

The Yorkshire Air Museum is home to the unique exhibit of Halifax Friday the 13th. For many people, the prime reason to visit the museum is to see this amazing aircraft in person. Very often, we welcome visitors who are direct descendants of wartime Halifax aircrew. For them, becoming acquainted with this historic aircraft can be a very emotional event. Created over an extended period by a dedicated team of volunteers here at the Museum, the Halifax carries the famous Royal Air Force markings … [Read more...]

Many people will be aware that the aircraft here at the Museum are cared for by a team of volunteer engineers. Many of these skilled tradesmen are either retired air force technicians while others are still actively serving in the Royal Air Force and give up free time to take pleasure in maintaining our aircraft. However you may not be aware of our youngest volunteer who is only just starting out in her career as an aircraft engineer. Eloise has quickly become part of the aircraft engineering … [Read more...]

It's that day when the Christmas Jumpers are shaken down and checked for tightness. If they're tighter than last year, then the Christmas Pudding may be off limits. We're talking, of course, about the Yorkshire Air Museum staff and volunteer Christmas Lunch. Normally sensible engineers, guides and stewards show their true colours as the navy blue uniform they wear with pride before our guests hides beneath a covering of reindeers, flashing lights and exceptionally silly hats. This year's … [Read more...]

His Excellency Monsieur Jean Paul Jouyet made his first visit to the City of York yesterday following his appointment as French Ambassador to Britain. The City has some notable Anglo French connections and we are proud that Ambassador also made a visit to us here at The Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington where he laid a wreath in our Memorial Garden. He also enjoyed a short tour of the Museum's Handley Page Halifax bomber where he experienced the inside environment of this WW2 aircraft as flown … [Read more...]

In the 100 years since the Armistice that marked the end of The Great War, air power has grown to be a pivotal force in global conflicts. The Royal Air Force was also formed in 1918 and as we draw to the end of the RAF100 commemorations this year, it seems entirely appropriate that representatives of some of the worlds Allied Air Forces joined us in Elvington village at the Groupes Lourds memorial, then later at the Museum to remember those who have sacrificed so much in the conflicts of the … [Read more...]

On the 11th of November at 11:00am in 1918, the guns finally fell silent. The Great War, as it came to be known, ended. There were, of course, no victorious celebrations. Unlike the Second World War that sadly followed, there was no real, clear winner. However there were many casualties and broken lives. At the Yorkshire Air Museum, we have been proud to have participated in various commemorations and to have played a part in helping to remind people of the enormity of the conflicts of the … [Read more...]

This Sunday was the second running of 999 Emergency Day and it proved to be incredibly popular, with visitors queuing at the museum entrance as we opened at 10:00am. While the day was a chance to enjoy the Museum’s attractions, more importantly, it was also a chance to meet the hugely diverse range of North of England’s Emergency Services teams, all in one location. These expert teams are a combination of both full time staff and also valuable volunteer members contributing their valuable skills … [Read more...]

This past Sunday was Allied Air Forces Day at the Museum. Each year, representatives from air forces across the world join us, together with other significant representatives, to commemorate the sacrifice of those serving in global airborne conflict and peacekeeping duties, both past and present. This year we commemorated the centenary of the establishment of The Royal Air Force and it was truly heartening to see such a diverse range of senior representatives and friends from Allied Air … [Read more...]

Visitors to the Museum were inspired on Sunday as they enjoyed the now annual ceremony of celebrating women in the armed services. Today women serve alongside their male counterparts in front line service, though it was not always this way. Now an annual ceremony, this year focused on the Centenary of the Women’s Royal Air Force, formed on 1st April 1918, alongside the Royal Air Force itself, and also the Royal Air Force Temporary Nursing Service, formed on 1st June 1918, which evolved under … [Read more...]