PARHAM AIRFIELD MUSEUM NEWSLETTER MARCH 2018

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1 PARHAM AIRFIELD MUSEUM NEWSLETTER MARCH 2018 Compiled by Peter Kindred & Lydia Kirk Registered Charity Number NOTICE: AGM Sunday 25 th March 2018, 10.30am at the Museum Apologies to Welcome to our latest newsletter, telling you about some of the exciting news and developments from the museums. Thanks to the enthusiasm and support of our volunteers we have had very successful 2016 and 2017 seasons with good visitor numbers, including 390th and Auxilier descendants, organised club and school visits. We continue to receive complimentary reviews in our guestbook and on Trip Advisor. Generous donations, including those from the Moller Foundation and many descendants, allow us to cover our overhead administration costs and continue to make improvements to the buildings, displays and exhibits. Parham Airfield Museum 2018 newsletter Page 1

2 General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)- Important New laws which will come into effect on 25th May 2018 require us to seek your permission to hold your personal data, including addresses. If you are an existing supporter of the Parham Airfield Museum, we hold your personal data e.g. contact details, and are sending you this newsletter because we believe you will have already given us the details for that purpose. If you are reading this newsletter on our website or social media and would like to receive s from Parham Airfield Museum including newsletters, details of upcoming events and occasional details of our fundraising schemes, please to opt in to our mailing list. We will not sell or pass on your data. Since we have stopped sending out paper newsletters we no longer charge for membership and are keen for our digital newsletters to reach as many interested parties as possible. By receiving our newsletter you will become a free member of the museum. If you no longer want to receive communications from us, clear guidance on how to OPT OUT will be in each , or you can contact us at any point asking to opt out via parhamairfield@yahoo.co.uk and we will delete your address. Our Privacy and Data Retention policies will be available on our website soon. New Website We have been working hard on our new website which was unveiled at the end of last year. Please check it out for details of special visitors to the museum, upcoming events and items of interest. Both the website and our Facebook page are really good ways of keeping in touch with our visitors and friends in between our digital newsletters. Parham Airfield Museum 2018 newsletter Page 2

3 IMPROVEMENTS AT THE MUSEUM Charlie Cairnes Collection After completing our New Moller Building we have added an extension to the Barrack Room Nissen Hut to show off a huge collection of instruments and memorabilia donated by 8 th Air force enthusiast Charlie Cairnes. This includes a ground crew exhibition showing the difficult conditions under which they had to work all hours outside in all weathers to keep those B17s serviceable and in repaired flying order. The collection also includes a Walt Disney film editing machine with accompanying photo of a returning veteran who once used this equipment. Photo Editing Machine Ground Crew Hoist Reorganisation of the Ground Floor of the Control Tower Following visitor feedback, we have categorised our exhibits in the ground floor of the control tower. We have made space for a superb collection of restored aircraft parts that we were generously given by Jan and Joss De Groot, which we collected from their private museum in Holland. The De Groots felt it was time for these special items, including the Hamilton variable pitch propeller hub from the crashed ETO-ITIS, to return to Parham. We now have this hub as a moving exhibit which visitors can turn the handle of to show the workings of the variable pitch prop mechanism. Amazingly, after 30 years of being underground the bearings and cogs are as good as new! Parham Airfield Museum 2018 newsletter Page 3

4 Jill Wicker-Gooding and family Roger Wilson working on the hub The Dutch exhibits also include a small collection of fittings from North Star which collided with B over Hoorn whilst on the Merseburg Mission 7 th July Coincidentally, Jill Wicker Gooding and her brother visited us and generously presented the Museum with part of the mount from the tail gun of North Star. The mount was recovered from the Zeider Zee several years after WWII and amazingly it found its way back to Jill s father who was the co-pilot of North Star and one of the few survivors of the crash. Readers interested in finding out more about the crash over Hoorn may like to look up the To honor and remember the 390 th BG crash over Hoorn, Holland Facebook page, or make contact with Frank Leek who has extensive knowledge on the crash and helped instigate a memorial to these men in Hoorn. New Exhibits in the Moller Building Report by Peter Senior We have continued to work on the exhibitions and displays in the Moller Building. One new display focuses on weather forecasting, a crucial element of flying operations. Forecasts were provided by the 18 th Weather Squadron field unit. There were three commissioned forecasters and nine enlisted men. Their office was on the ground floor of the Control Tower. Parham Airfield Museum 2018 newsletter Page 4

5 Information about local conditions and the assembly area came from observations and an aircraft sent up by Group one hour before the mission. Forecasts for the route and target area came by teleprinter from 8 th Air Force HQ. These were compiled by the team in the control tower using data from weather ships, shore stations and reconnaissance aircraft. If it was decided that the mission could take place, the Operations Officer briefed crews on what they could expect. We have some contemporary photos and equipment, but if anyone out there has any artefacts typical of the era they would help make an even better display! Another new exhibition is about dentistry on the base, one of the medical services provided for all personnel. The Station Dentist was Captain Lawrence Kerr. His uniforms are the centre of this display. There were two other commissioned dentists. We have two pictures of them at work. In one, Capt. Kerr checks a patient during a routine dental survey. In the other, he receives information about a patient by phone, whilst the others carry out an X- ray and fill a tooth. The display includes some 1940s dental instruments, kindly donated by Tony Albrow of the 95 th Bomb Group Hospital Museum. We are hoping to acquire more dental exhibits from the period to complete this developing exhibition. Gunnery Exhibition The largest of our new exhibitions brings together various artefacts relating to aerial gunnery and bombing. A mannequin of a waist gunner dressed in full flying gear is accompanied by a 50-calibre machine gun and related exhibits. Use of the Norden bomb sight is explained with a selection of wartime photographs. Parham Airfield Museum 2018 newsletter Page 5

6 The new element in the gunnery exhibition is dedicated to Donald Stompie Detwiler, a ball turret gunner who bailed out over Neumunster just before the end of the war in Europe. The crew of Hard to Get, otherwise known as Batch Baby were on their 21 st mission when the B17 was hit by a ME262 jet. Sergeant Detwiler was captured but after some arduous marching managed to link up with British troops and avoid being sent to a POW camp. Stompie has now sadly passed away and we are indebted to his family for donating his uniform and other memorabilia to the museum. LeRoy Keeping Readers who have visited us over the years may well remember being shown around by LeRoy Keeping. LeRoy served on the base during the war as an armourer, specialising in gun turrets. He married a local girl and after returning to the USA came back to live and work in Framlingham. He was one of the first and most active of our volunteers. He has now retired to a local care home and donated his collection of memorabilia to the museum. It includes his uniforms and a photo of him in the snow with the new Raleigh bicycle on which he used to ride to visit his fiancée. These items are displayed in a purposebuilt cabinet. Peter Senior showing LeRoy the cabinet that he has made to house LeRoy s exhibits. Parham Airfield Museum 2018 newsletter Page 6

7 Control Tower Repaint Through our connections with Col. Salmi, Commander of 100 th Operations Group at Mildenhall, we had members of his son s Eagle Scouts and other volunteers help repaint the walls of the tower, one Sunny day in July. His son Josh was able to get credits for a scout award and was lucky to have parental and other scout leaders help. The painting team The Colonel, being a hard taskmaster, did not allow us to stop many minutes for a sandwich and coffee break! We used 35 litres of paint and were finished by 4 o clock. Thanks to regular volunteers Griff, Trevor, Barry and Steve the doors, windows and the Tower Glass House were all given a sanding down and primed and top coat gloss paint with cracks being sealed and panes reputtied where needed. We are pleased to report that now the main tower is once more looking really good and totally watertight. New displays It was our pleasure to have John Thornton, grandson of pilot Arthur Harris, come back last year to help prepare some wall displays of experiences and achievements of some 390 th veterans who had helped the museum in many ways over recent years. John s computer skills were a real help and he got to visit some of the local pubs his grandfather may have known. Like the GIs before him, John tried to find his way round home on his bike in the rain and dark and fell into the ditch after one too many pints! John working on new displays Parham Airfield Museum 2018 newsletter Page 7

8 Jeep The museum was lucky enough to be gifted a WW2 military Wily s Jeep from Bob Burdick, a volunteer Docent from the 390 th Museum in Tucson. Bob and his wife had visited us and enjoyed their day at Parham. We met them again when we visited the reunion in Tucson in 2016 and went for a spin round Arizona in the Jeep. It was after this Bob offered his beautifully restored Jeep to the museum if we could ship it home carefully. After some trials getting the Jeep transported from the US to the UK, we are glad to say that it has now arrived safely and is a real asset to the museum, with visitors keen to pose for a photo in front of it and children happy to have a go at steering it! Matthew Kelly, who helped us get the jeep running SOME OF OUR RECENT VISITORS The MacVicar Family Following the death of Bill MacVicar, the late President of the Veterans Association, we were honoured to welcome his son Jim and daughter-in-law Wendy and their family to pay their last respects to Bill at Parham. We had a lovely couple of days showing them round the old base and the local area but it took them a while to get used to our narrow winding country roads! Parham Airfield Museum 2018 newsletter Page 8

9 Gerry Green s Family Sadly, we have to report the death of Gerry Green who had been an enthusiastic volunteer, for many years. Every Sunday morning he would be in early to open up and do little maintenance jobs before sitting at his desk to welcome our visitors to the museum and tell them his many stories. His family came to the Tower to pay their last respects to Gerry and we showed them the plaque and picnic table in his remembrance. The Green Family 100 BG Tour Party Early in the season we welcomed a 100 th B.G. group from USA. We showed them round the museum including the BRO section and took them on a short conducted bus tour of the old airfield to see some of the old buildings and rekindle memories. The party included 2 veterans along with descendants. They laid a wreath and we stood in silence to remember fallen 8 th Air Force colleagues. 100 th BG Veterans laying a wreath. Dan Dunkel We welcomed Dan Dunkel and his wife to the museum and showed them round the old airfield. He had shown us many photos taken by his father who was an auto pilot engineer based at the HQ block. These included pictures of maintaining the B17s on the hardstands and his colleagues relaxing on the air-raid shelter near the Norden bomb site building. He was seconded to go and train with the Aphrodite Team to act as engineer on board the clapped out B17s that were loaded with explosives to be radio controlled to crash on Parham Airfield Museum 2018 newsletter Page 9

10 the rocket launching stations on the French coastline. He trained on low flying missions from Woodbridge to be able to parachute out over friendly territory at about 1000ft before the system was set on autopilot to be controlled by the mother-ship flying nearby. Several practice missions had ended up with the crews being seriously injured before the project was handed over to the Navy Air Arm and culminated in the fatal accident in which Joe Kennedy was killed flying from Fersfield. We have artefacts from the Aphrodite crash site at Sudbourne and the Kennedy crash site at Blythburgh, in our collection. Dan Dunkel s father Robert shown here, top left. Dan & Denise Dunkel This is the first time we have heard of any active involvement of 390 th personnel in that Aphrodite and related projects. Was it rare for ground crew to be seconded to aircrew duties? Does anyone have anything to add about the 390 th involvement in Aphrodite at Woodbridge to start with and then latterly at Fersfield? Please get in contact if you have any information on this. We had so many interesting descendants visit last summer. All came with their interesting stories and many left us with items and stories to add to our exhibits or library. It has been a pleasure to show them round and we look forward to doing the same again this year. Please look on our website; we hope to add a lot more photos of our visitors very soon. Parham Airfield Museum 2018 newsletter Page 10

11 FROM OUR ARCHIVIST.JENNIE SMITH Since accepting the role of Archivist and Librarian at the museum, I have finally realised what a mammoth job I have taken on! There is such a wealth of information in our files and on the computer in the library that my aim is to read and catalogue everything we have and to make it more accessible. The Airmen project is progressing well. We now have on the library computer a spreadsheet which lists all the airmen who flew from Framlingham Station 153 and either were killed in action, became POW s or evaded. (A full list of all airmen stationed here is on the 390 th site so I am not trying to reinvent the wheel). I am gradually populating this sheet with information as I come across it while searching through and organising all the files of scanned documents that we have, things such as: 1. Mission number and date when they were killed or taken prisoner 2. A copy of the enlistment record into the USAAF 3. Airplane name and number they were in at the time of the incident 4. The Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) relating to the incident, (we now have a copy of all the MACR s relating to Parham on file) 5. The cemetery where they are buried 6. A photograph of the grave 7. A photograph of the airman and/or crew 8. Newspaper articles from the USA or UK Research I have had several interesting requests for research since taking on the post, both from visitors to the museum and by from veteran s and their families. A daughter of an airman asked if I could find out any more information and maybe trace the family her father spent time with in Framlingham whilst based in the UK. A couple of authors have asked for my help in providing the details of crew names and photographs for upcoming books. Several descendants of our boys have requested information on the number of missions undertaken by their ancestor and I have been able to provide this along with copies of the enlistment record, Missing Aircrew Report and any photographs and newspaper articles we have. A very moving research project, which is ongoing, is to help a local man find details of his GI father. Since taking on this task, I have read so many details Parham Airfield Museum 2018 newsletter Page 11

12 about the life on the base and the details of the ultimate sacrifice of boys younger than both my sons, that I am determined to do what I can to preserve their memory and not let their names be forgotten. I feel privileged to be part of the team here at Parham. BRITISH RESISTANCE ORGANISATION MUSEUM Chris Pratt The BRO Museum has welcomed many visitors over the season. Please read some of their comments below: Of particular interest is the Museum of the British Resistance Organisation. I, and I m sure many others, had no knowledge of this - there are people who were part of it and still will not talk about it. This is the only museum dedicated to those who served in this secret organisation. The volunteers are helpful, knowledgeable and keen to tell you what they know A most fascinating museum about the British Resistance movement. A really educational visit. This wonderful museum - and tribute - to the USAAF bomber crews also houses a unique second museum - one dedicated to the British Resistance Organisation. The UK was the only European country to take the initiative to organise a resistance movement prepared to wage guerrilla warfare in the event of invasion. Those remarkable resistance organisations in Holland, France and other countries were formed after invasion by Germany, but Britain was ready in advance, with 'cells' across the country. So secret were the preparations that members of the British Resistance were still sworn to secrecy until the 1990s. The exhibits of both museums at this location are informative, real, and many stand outside the glass cases of other places, making the link with the past even more tangible The Museum of the British Resistance is housed in a unique replica secret underground bunker - It is the only one of its kind in the UK! It is all run by very friendly volunteers who I'd like to thank very much! One of our volunteers, David Hammond, has now moved away following several years of very knowledgeable service as a volunteer in the BRO museum. This photo shows David at his retirement presentation with Chris Pratt and our Chairman, Tim Brett. Parham Airfield Museum 2018 newsletter Page 12

13 The BRO Museum is looking for new volunteers to meet and greet visitors and man the museum during opening hours. Please do get in contact if you are interested in the role and have a few hours a month to spare. Sadly there are very few Auxiliers left now, but we are increasingly hearing from family members interested in a story that was all but unknown for many when their Auxilier relative was alive. New and interesting material continues to come to light on a regular basis and some of these stories can be found in the full newsletter online Peter Louis Potter played a part in the Fingringhoe Patrol of the Auxiliary Units in 1943, alongside his father Lou. Hugh and Peter met at Boxted Airfield Museum where a mention of Parham helped them make the Secret Army connection. Hugh found that Peter only lived 3 miles away and went to interview him. Peter had long worked on a life memoir, and Hugh agreed to write it up for him. Two years later, as Peter celebrated his 92nd birthday, Tales of Peter Potter was published, telling Peter s fascinating life story in a humorous and very readable way. Supporters of the BRO can purchase a special signed copy of Hugh Frostick s new book, Tales of Peter Potter, online for 10 + P&P. Please see the full newsletter for more details. Martin Bowman visited to tell us that his father Herbert Philip Bowman was in the Thorpe St Andrew Patrol. This was confirmed from the Nominal Roll and the CART website. He was very emotional to see a photo of the patrol albeit that his father had moved on by Stand Down. In October 2016 personnel from RAF Chicksands visited and I gave them a presentation about Auxiliary Units. Anthony Thomas, grandson of Bill Major who commanded Aux Units after Gubbins, visited us in July 2016 and was impressed with our collection. A full copy of the BRO newsletter can be found in the News section of our website. Parham Airfield Museum 2018 newsletter Page 13

14 AND FINALLY. Card Payments & Online Shop We have been trialling a new debit card machine and hope to now offer card payments in the shop. Please bear with us whilst we try to get to grips with this new technology! We also have an Ebay shop and many of the lighter items can be posted abroad. Gift Aid If you are a UK tax payer, please continue to fill in the Gift Aid envelopes next to our donation boxes. This boosts your donation by 25% at no extra cost to yourself. Your continued donations are much appreciated. Further details of how you can donate can be found on our website. Trip Advisor If you have enjoyed your visit to the Museum please consider leaving a Trip Advisor review. These really help encourage other visitors. We are hoping to get enough 5* reviews this season to get our first Certificate of Excellence from Trip Advisor- your help would be appreciated. Some of our recent reviews on Trip Advisor:- An absolute gem. Do not miss it. A must for anyone with an interest in history. A fascinating collection of items connected with the base s role in WW2. For most visitors these days, it might as well have been part of deepest history almost impossible to believe that it all happened within living memory. It is so important to preserve the artefacts and the stories they tell. The restoration of the control tower and it's access was a most interesting part of the tour. One of the best local wartime memorial sites. We look forward to opening for the new season on Sunday 1 st April and hope to see many of you over our opening months. Thank you for your continued support and interest. If you have any news you would like to share, please get in touch via parhamairfield@yahoo.co.uk Parham Airfield Museum 2018 newsletter Page 14