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The museum is now open to the public, please view the museum web site www.bcwm.org.uk or click on the logo above for all the visitor information:
Museum background
Plans for a museum at Bentwaters were unveiled at the 81st Fighter Wing Association's 50th anniversary reunion, held at the base in September 2001. The reunion itself was marred by sadness as it followed in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York.
The original idea consisted of a room in the control tower to be set aside for memorabilia and photos but this idea was subsequently changed to something that was on a much larger scale. The new plan sees the former hardened Wing Command Post as the nucleus of the museum with a number of other key buildings and areas on the base being selected for restoration and inclusion on a proposed bus tour.
The Command Post (or CP as it is also known) has an interesting history itself. The CP was manned during Operation El Dorado Canyon (the 1986 USAF raids on Colonel Gadaffi's HQ in Libya), although it is unclear as to what extent it was involved. There are unconfirmed reports that the entire operation was planned and controlled from here. The building also has a link with the UFO sightings that occurred in December 1980. Numerous books have been written about this and there is no doubt that the Bentwaters CP played a fundamental role during this period of ‘unexplained’ activity! The last operational milestone for the CP was during the first Gulf War in 1991. The building was manned for the duration of the conflict in support of the A-10’s that were deployed to theatre
In addition to portraying the history of Bentwaters, the Bentwaters 'Cold War' Museum, will also encompass the other half of the former Twin-Base complex - RAF Woodbridge.
Work on the museum project started in earnest on 31st May 2003, when members of the newly formed Bentwaters Aviation Society began clearing unwanted fixtures and fittings from the CP. This was the beginning of nearly three years of very hard work by only eight volunteers! Their dedication and motivation never faltered despite some difficult times en route to completion.
From the very early stages of the project it was decided that two of the key rooms should be restored to an operational appearance. These rooms were the Battle Cabin and the War Operations Room and, although unmanned during normal day-to-day operations, they would have been the two most important rooms within the CP during exercise and wartime. An amazing stroke of luck and a great deal of detective work uncovered a source of original communications consoles, alert state displays and associated equipment. This was all subsequently refitted into the Battle Cabin and War Ops rooms. Following detailed information from a number of personnel who actually worked in the CP, both rooms have been successfully restored and will undoubtedly prove to be a big attraction for visitors to the museum.
Other than the two rooms previously mentioned, most of the remaining rooms house exhibits covering various aspects of the Twin-Bases history. In addition to separate rooms dedicated to the general history of both bases, there are rooms covering Special Operations at Woodbridge and the 527th Aggressor Squadron.
Although the CP will form the centerpiece of the museum, it is by no means all that visitors can expect to see. As stated earlier, a number of other buildings have been restored and these can be seen during a bus tour of the airfield. These additional buildings include the hush-house engine de-tuner, hardened aircraft shelters and weapon storage areas. One of the hardened aircraft shelters contains the museum’s collection of aircraft and visitors will be able to view these during the tour. There is also an opportunity to see restoration work on these aircraft being carried out by members of Bentwaters Aviation Society.
It is anticipated that the aircraft collection will grow steadily over the years. Currently the star exhibit is a former MoD Llanbedr based Gloster Meteor D.16 drone, WH453. This aircraft is being returned to its original F.8 configuration and will eventually be repainted in the markings of No. 72 Sqn, RAF, a unit with which it served during the 1950s. Although the F.8 variant has no real links to Bentwaters, the F.3 variant of the Meteor has the distinction of being the first jet-powered aircraft to be stationed at the base.
The museum project team had hoped to acquire and display some examples of USAF aircraft types that had once played such an important part in the history of both Bentwaters and Woodbridge. However, changes in the USAF Museum’s ‘loan’ policy, post 9/11, have meant that this is unlikely ever to happen. This was a major blow for the team of volunteers, and one that could not have been predicted. It is a real shame that a museum, largely dedicated to what was once the biggest wing in the entire USAF, will not have any representative aircraft types on display for visitors to see. Hopefully, the USAFM will have a change of heart once the Bentwaters ‘Cold War’ Museum has become fully established.
Despite this initial setback, the Bentwaters ‘Cold War’ Museum will still be a major attraction for aviation enthusiasts and former based personnel for many years to come. Unlike most of the other disused air bases in the UK., Bentwaters has remained largely intact. This fact, in conjunction with the museum itself, will go some way to enable future generations to understand the important roles played by both Bentwaters and Woodbridge during the Second World War and throughout the ‘Cold War’ period.
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