ISSUE 1 MAY – JUL 2018

Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre @MontroseAirStation www.rafmontrose.org.uk

Welcome to Airspeed; a quarterly publication presenting news, stories and updates from Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre. Members are invited to contribute stories and comments for future editions. In this edition, we focus on our latest exhibition theme: ‘Romance at Montrose Air Station’…

Editor: ‘Romance at Montrose Air Station’ Jodi Thomson

Contributing Editor: Festival of Museums Dr. Dan Paton Weekend 2018

Photography: th th Neil Werninck 18 –20 May

In this edition: Festival of Museums Welcome when they left, there was a spateofweddingsoflocal • American Weddings The Festival of Museums Aspecialwelcometothe girls to American servicemen. • Centenary of the RAF invites museums all over families who are the Research into this long • Developing the Museum to participate in a descendants of these couples. forgotten episode in the national event to make The family of Samuel Swain - Replica history of the war reveals a museums attractive and open RFC who married Mary Ann - wonderful story of how to a wider public. It is Boyek on 31st December - Burke’s Sheds couples, brought together by sponsored by Museums 1913, the Parrott’s whose fate, overcame barriers of Galleries Scotland, the body great-grandfather Sergeant distance and culture to make which oversees the museums Parrott married Eva (mostly) successful marriages. and galleries sector and by McKenzie on 16th November Visit Scotland which promotes 1914 and the Bullocks The exhibition will be opened Scotland as a tourist descended from the famous 2018 Events Calendar by Susan Wilson, Principal destination. Montrose Air engineer of No2 Squadron Officer at the US Consulate 18-20 May: Festival of Museums Station has been involved who married Elizabeth in . Susan, a Weekend – ‘Romance at Montrose with the Festival of Museums Alexander on 13th December historian, will surely Air Station’ since it started. 1914 . appreciate this great story. 7th June: Exhibition at the Scottish Romance at Montrose Air The American Weddings Parliament Station 1918 24–26 August: Open Weekend & Our approach has always Montrose, always in the lead, Fly in been innovative and is even had GI brides before September : Freedom of the Burgh more so this year. Our theme anywhere else in Britain and No. 2 Squadron is “Romance at Montrose Air our opening event is an Station Heritage Centre” exhibition which draws on 2019 Charity Calendar reflecting the fact that, soon research into a happy Member Neil Werninck is after its foundation in 1913, episode in the First World preparing to start local women married men War. America entered the photography for a 2019 stationed at RFC/RAF war in 1917 and sent US charity calendar for the Montrose.Thisisamajorway Army Squadrons to train on Heritage Centre. It will have a in which the air station British Aircraft like the vintage theme with models impacted on the local Sopwith Camel. They were dressed mainly for the 1940s community. here only a few months but Victoria Copplestone Bush and feature them at different WRAF married William locations around the museum. Left: Test photoshoot with Roslyn Walker, a Beaver No138 Squadron student of Costume Design, from Edinburgh. USAS. ISSUE 1 MAY – JUL 2018 Volunteer Profile RAF 100: The Centenary of the formation of the Here we will showcase some of our active members… The centenary of the formation working with the children of to lead the RFC to war. It has of the Royal Air Force, the first Lochside school and the BBC are taken them a century to get Airspeed independent air force in history, coming to record a programme back to Scotland and the Editor st fell on 1 April. At that time for Radio Scotland. squadron is now flying Typhoons Jodi Thomson 100 years ago, Montrose was Our special contribution will be at RAF Lossiemouth. one of the most important the presentation of the Freedom The Heritage Centre is building training centres for pilots and of Angus to No2 (AC) Squadron. links with today’s RAF whose ground-crew in Britain. We Angus Council unanimously units regard it as an important don’t know how this watershed As a relatively new volunteer I approved our request and the part of their history and am incredibly excited to have in aviation history was ceremony is likely to take place heritage. As well as the link with celebrated at Montrose at the been given the chance to edit in Montrose in September. No2 No2 Squadron we have recently the newly regenerated Airspeed time. Probably it was business Squadron, which proudly had a very successful visit by No as usual. The American 138th newsletter. Weekend working proclaimsthatitis“TheOldest 612 Squadron: a unit of medics restricts me to volunteering every Squadron had arrived only fixed wing Squadron in the based at Leuchars now days before. otherSaturdaysomanyofyou World” came to Montrose in preserving the heritage of the reading this may not have met Montrose Air Station Heritage 1913. They left in August 1914 old City of Aberdeen squadron. me,sowherebettertointroduce Centre is contributing to the myself than the first issue of celebration of the centenary. Left: No 612 2018! Would you believe we are Squadron in lending an aircraft to the RAF? Over the past year I have been front of the Red working ‘behind the scenes’ Our Red Lichtie Spitfire is going Lichtie Spitfire. to an exhibition at the Glasgow learning from curator Dr Dan Science Centre showing the Paton who has been sharing his historical development of the wisdom about all things museums. RAF over the century. We have I have learned so much in that been hosting an RAF100 project time and met so many involving Scottish Opera hardworking volunteers who have really welcomed me into Developing the Museum this diverse and dedicated team. Our Unique Approach to in 1918. Construction of the Burke’s Sheds: A lost From a very young age history Aviation History Camel is well advanced. Fabric opportunity has always been my passion, Montrose Air Station Heritage is going on the wings and Burke’s sheds is the name given and I graduated from the Centre is a very unusual place. fuselage. It should be on to the three grey buildings University of Dundee with a It is one of the very few display in the Robertson adjacent to the Heritage Centre History degree in 2013. Since accredited museums in Britain building beside the B.E.2 in the compound, named after Major then my goal has been to start a run entirely by volunteers. That next few months. Charles Burke, first career in museums. meanswemustmeetthesame The Avro Anson CommandingOfficerofNo2 I am happiest when researching: standards and use the same We have recently acquired an Squadron, who had them built trawling through books, procedures as big museums run Avro Anson. Will restoration of in1913tohousetheB.E.2sof photographs, documents or old by professionals. Unlike other an actual aircraft be easier No2 squadron. The end newspapers determined to aviation museums, which are than building from scratch? Not building, which is A grade uncover a hidden gem of essentially collectors of aircraft, really. Estimated time for listed,hasbeenvacantforover information! The First World we set out to tell the story of completion is 2021. six months. What a place for an War is where my interest lies the men and women who served The Anson is very relevant to aviation museum we thought. and was the subject of various here through two world wars. our collections policy. Ansons of Here was a heritage building of original research projects during Building the Sopwith Camel No269 Coastal Command were international significance, the my degree. aviation equivalent of Arbroath Of course aircraft are essential flying from Montrose when the Abbey, which would put Over the coming year I am to their story. If they are Second World War broke out Montrose and Angus on the looking forward to learning unobtainable, we make them. in1939andtheywereusedfor map of aviation tourism. more about the museum’s Hence the replica of the B.E.2a training pilots throughout the Dr Dan Paton writes: ‘What accessioning process, meeting is the first British aircraft to land war. have Angus Council decided to more members and visitors and in in the First World do with the building? They of course producing more issues War, flown by Lt Harvey-Kelly have let it out to a company of Airspeed! who left Montrose with No2 Below : Member Jules works selling tyres.’ Squadron on August 3rd 1914. on the Sopwith Camel. Our amazing volunteers are now building a replica Sopwith Right: Camel, the most famous British Inspection fighter of the First World War. of the newly It will be finished as the aircraft arrived flown by Captain John Todd Avro Anson. MC DFC, a Scottish Camel “ACE” from Falkirk who trained new fighter pilots at Montrose