Today, 3rd July 2020, Group Captain Dan James unveiled a plaque to officially open the new RAF Brize Norton Heritage Centre.
The Station Commander, Group Captain Dan James said:
“The RAF Brize Norton Heritage Centre is a brilliant place to come and learn about the Stations rich history and it reminds us of all that has gone before us, is what has made Brize what it is today. A huge thank you to the team who have put so much work into this project as the effort shows.”
Group Captain Dan James
Station Commander
Royal Air Force Brize Norton
The Officer in Command of the Heritage Centre, Squadron Leader Andy Marshall said:
“I am extremely pleased and proud of the work that the small team of volunteers, and others, have done which has allowed the centre to now finally open. It has been a long six years, with a few bumps and setbacks along the way, but finally RAF Brize Norton has a Heritage Centre which now and for the future will be a depository for the collection of artefacts highlighting the rich history of the station. Now we have the centre, the real work now begins to develop its potential, and continue the story of RAF Brize Norton.”
Squadron Leader Andy Marshall
OIC Heritage Centre
The project began in the summer of 2014, there had been an aspiration to have dedicated site to display the Heritage and History of RAF Brize Norton and the Air Mobility Force as part of the Stn Force Development (FD) Sqn initiative, the idea started to gather pace. A suitable site was identified, and work began to plan and prepare the room for its role, including the collection of artefacts from around the Station, such as a VC10 Conway engine.
Time marched on and during that time Brize Norton has celebrated its 80th Anniversary. After a considerable amount of work and effort in 2018 by the, then, OC Force Development Squadron, Sqn Ldr Bryce, a found a new location for the heritage centre to be situated. The new location was the building previously used by the Station NARO Team and is a part of the Station’s Heritage in its own right, having been a petrol garage built at Brize during the time when the Station was a United States Air Force Base.
After some initial preparation work was completed, including painting walls, fitting blinds and cleaning the carpet, work began in the Summer of 2019 to move more artefacts form the old location into the display room and collect more artefacts which will serve to represent the history and heritage of RAF Brize Norton. Unfortunately, the Conway Engine will now not be able to be displayed in the new centre, the engine will find a new home in the Newark Aviation Museum.
During the Summer and Winter of 2019, a small dedicated team, helped by some SATT (Servicemen Awaiting Trade Trg) ‘volunteers’ continued to develop the centre, with the main task being the construction of a replica Tristar Flight Deck. This was a major piece of work, which is now almost completed. With the completion of this task, focus will be shifted to other displays.
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There is still a lot of work to be completed, but progression has been good and the centre has reached the stage where it can be formally opened by the Station Commander, and potentially other visitors once the COVID 19 protocols have been put in place.
RAF Brize Norton was officially opened on 13 August 1937, but No2 Flying Training School had begun operations before the building programme had finished. Flying training continued until 1942, when the Station became the Heavy Glider Conversion Unit. The Station was involved in the D Day Landing and in Operation Market Garden, as well as several other airborne delivery tasks. In 1945, Brize became part of Transport Command, changing in 1949, to the Advanced Flying School.
In 1951, RAF Brize Norton was transferred to the United States Air Force, whereupon a major redevelopment programme took place to make the Station suitable for the Jet Bomber Age. The United States operated at Brize (the RAF were at Fairford) until 1965, when the Station was handed back to the RAF and back to Transport Command. Since that date RAF Brize Norton operated as a Transport Command Station (until 1972), an RAF Strike Command station (46 Group, 38 Group, and 2 Group) and is currently part of HQ Air, No 2 Group. Many Squadrons have operated at Brize Norton and it has been involved in all major military and humanitarian relief operations undertaken by British Forces in recent times.
RAF BRIZE NORTON TIMELINE
1937 - Opened as a flying training station.
1944 - Nos. 296 and 297 Squadrons dropped paratroops and launched Horsa gliders during D-Day.
1945 - RAF Brize Norton transferred from Flying Training Command to Transport Command.
1951 - The US Air Force accepted control of the Station.
1965 - The RAF took back control of the Station and it became a Transport Command airfield.
2001 - First Boeing C-17A Globemaster III aircraft arrived.
2011 - The Airbus A330 Voyager arrived.
2012 - Lockheed Martin C-130J arrived due to the closure of RAF Lyneham.
2014 - Airbus A400M Atlas arrived.
