NASAM Update as of the 3rd Oct 2022
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From the Chair
A look back at the Summer
What an incredible summer. The weather has been pretty much unsurpassed, with hot days followed by hotter ones. The only problem with this is that such heat doesn’t always benefit the museum. On hot days visitors tend to prefer the beach to the museum.
That said, we have had a very busy summer with over 14,000 people visiting by the end of August. We made the decision to only open three days per week, and that does not seem to have adversely affected numbers too badly.
(A problem we have here is that before the pandemic, we estimated numbers, whereas now we count people in, so our numbers can’t truly be compared).
We do know, however, that on several non-event days, we filled the main car park and ended up parking cars on the various bits of grass around the site. Indeed, on two occasions, we filled the overflow field kindly made available to us by Emma Gilham. I don’t believe that we have ever had to turn people away before.
As you will have read in past blogs, last winter, we re-arranged the main hangar and the modeller’s den. Both have received a great many compliments, and no complaints, over the summer. With that in mind, we are going to carry on the work this winter. Details of the plans will be in the next NASAM Blog.
Interesting Visitor to the Museum 1st Oct
Click the image to expand.
202210A Misc
A Pembleton kit-built car with a Moto Guzzi engine kit built by the owner.
Steve B
General Updates
Here we are in October and the first Online Flier of the month. Firstly, above, we have an update from the Chair and a brief look at the summer months at the Museum.
The next article, below, comes from Graham as he sifts through the dank and dark corners of the Archive store. Actually, the archives may well be dark, but they are not dank. This time his contribution is from a local RAF station at Martlesham Heath and a sports day along with other advice and hints from the magazine.
Next up is Barry with an update from the lower compound of the museum and the Javelin, which is still undergoing a repaint, hopefully, to be complete before the winter sets in. Also, the second of the updates, from the Painters, and still on the Javelin, has Mark K as the author, Barry being away at the time. Thanks, Mark 🙂
The museum has always loaned out artefacts and other items to the local community and local museums. We have a piece from Bob C on the Concorde model loaned to a Heritage Centre in Lowestoft. Also, a piece from Steve B and Ray K on the loan of a Cavity Magnetron to Bury St Edmunds.
Museum Opening Times
As reported in the last blog, the opening times for the Museum for the rest of the season in 2022, are as follows:
- To end October – Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, from 1000 to1600, and then
- November to December 14th – Wednesdays and Sundays, from 1000 to 1500
The Museum will then be closed from December 15th until Wednesday 15th February
- Except for Wednesday/Thursday 28/29th December, from 1000 to 1500.
Pete S
From the Archives
SPORTS DAY
Recently rescued from the creeping damp of the Magazine Store comes a contribution from a Station magazine from August of 1943 called “The Lineshooter and Martlesham Mercury”. Interesting for a number of reasons, it provides a clear indication that RAF and WAAF types needed to be catered for on station and in the magazine – and that there was a healthy relationship between RAF Martlesham Heath and the service men and women from nearby RAF Trimley Heath, although no mention was made of the 8th Air Force 356th FG and their P-47s simply because it was to be another 3 months before they were joined by the Americans. Written without the wry humour of the later American magazine from the same base – “The Windsock”, and without the cartoons that came to define the likes of P/O Prune, its still a great view of life on a windy, wet RAF base in East Anglia in what must have seemed an interminable war.
This edition – there are several to choose from lodged in the Archive stores, carries a report of SPORTS DAY 1943:
202210A Misc
At Martlesham Heath on July 21st, 1943, a sports day was held. Trimly personnel were welcomed and a really fine show of athletic events took place.
The W.A.A.F. 70 yards and R.A.F. 100 yards opened the programme, followed by the W.A.A.F, sack race, then the R.A.F. 440 yards, in which the spectators were enthusiastically trying to spot the winners.
Three-legged race mixed pairs was the most amusing of all and the R.A.F. 880 yards caused even more interest and speculation than the 440 yards.
The tug of war aroused a great team spirit, driving away all thoughts of the rather cold wind. The R.A.F. obstacle race ended by the men having streaming wet faces, having had to extricate an apple from a pail of water with their teeth.
Great excitement was caused at the beginning of the mixed pilots race, all searching for light- weight W.A.AF. to carry. This was one of the most-looked-for events of the afternoon.
Our Commanding Officer, Wing-Commander Wilkinson, presented delightful prizes, including cigarette lighters and cosmetics.
Our edition closes with an advice page that seems pointedly aimed at the WAAF contingent – Aunt Nellies Corner (No trouble too trivial: None too great):
Query: My husband, who is a pilot, persists in wearing his flying kit in bed. What can I do to break him of this habit ? : “Perplexed.”
Answer: Perhaps your husband feels the cold. I suggest you procure a brazier and place it by the bed. After all, nothing is too good for our boys in blue.
Query: I am desperately in love with my C.O., but although I am in and out of his office all day he never notices me, but regards me as a piece of furniture. : “Lovelorn.”
Answer: Try a few little kindly actions to bring yourself to his notice. A bunch of onions, I feel sure, will bring tears to his eyes. You might knit him some bed socks, or maybe a red flannel comforter with his initials embroidered in his favourite colour. Let me know how you get on, won’t you, dear,
Query: I have a pet goat, who recently lost his teeth in an explosion. Can I get him some artificial ones?
Answer: Why not? I know several old goats who have artificial teeth.
Topical Joke?
1st W.A.A.F: I hear there are ten cases of typhus on the Camp.
2nd W.A.A.F: Well, it will make a nice change from Spam, won’t it?
HOUSEHOLD HINTS.
How to remove inkstains from your uniform.
Cut stained part completely off.
Maybe some of the humour is a little off-key, some of the observations about the local area a little harsh – the beer at the Kesgrave Bell pub (my local!!) comes in for some real stick, and there is a definite divide between the chaps of the RAF and the ladies of WAAF – but this was wartime in Suffolk and what got written down was a reflection of the reality that they were all living at the time.
I, for one, hope they get to stay in the Archive for another 79 years…
Graham
Painters Update
20/9/22 – Pesky Vortex Generators!
Yes folks, it was Sci-Fi reference week in the front paddock, with Mark in particular wrestling with the Vortex Generators on the ‘Flat Iron.’ With the ‘Whirlybird’ now complete, save for decals, the full team were deployed on the ‘Flat Iron.’ On a damp and chilly morning, the first hour was spent trying to dry the old bird out. Eventually, the temperature clicked up a couple of Celsius, and painting was able to commence. On the starboard wing, Mark broke out the Deep Sea Green and proceeded to paint in the ‘camo’ pattern, negotiating the many vortex generators as he went (see Javelin Repaint 39 pic). These proved to be very fiddly and Mark soon started to lose interest in this quirky engineering feature that sounded like it had been borrowed from an episode of Red Dwarf, or maybe Blakes Seven! Apparently, they were designed to generate extra lift for delta-wing aircraft such as the Javelin. What they certainly weren’t designed for was speedy paint restoration, according to Mark (aka Kryten) anyway.
Elsewhere on Javelin, Cliff and Gwen were on the Dark Grey and painting in some of the fiddly bits around the cockpit (see Javelin Repaint 40 pic). John and Roger also swung by at some point in the day to squirt some more foam filler into the corroded areas of the engine intakes. In the relative dry underneath, Barry spent the day painting the port and starboard undercarriage legs and wheel hubs in Bright Aluminium (see Javelin Repaint 41 pic). As it started to drizzle again around 14:30, that was all she wrote for the day.
Barry
(Photos) Painters Update 1
27/9/22 – WET WET WET*!
With Barry unable to attend and with the Javelin soaking wet (see Javelin Repaint 42), the remainder of the paint team began the day by reconnoitring the 446th display to agree on a work plan for winter.
Then it was on to a lengthy drying session before Gwen could paint the sides of the Javelin’s fuselage (see Javelin Repaint 43), whilst Cliff began what would be an all-day shift on top surfaces of the fuselage and starboard wing (photo Javelin Repaint 44).
Meanwhile, Ian and Mark manhandled the scaffold towers into position and painted the top of the T-tail (see Javelin Repaint 45). Sadly, there is no photo capturing the moment of Ian’s boot landing in Mark’s poorly placed paint pot. A mini disaster was averted by some very rapid rolling of the spilled paint!
During the day, John and Roger dropped by to continue their work repairing the corrosion on the Javelin’s air intakes, Roger proving that a mixture of 2 parts engineer and 4 parts painter will cause sparks to fly (see Javelin Repaint 46)! John could only look on in wonder after that comment (see Javelin Repaint 47).
Unfortunately, rain showers arrived earlier than forecast, making it impossible for Cliff (*Wishing He Was Lucky-er) to finish the top of the wing (see Javelin Repaint 48 and 49). Here’s hoping for a full team and for better weather next week!
Mark K
(Photos) Painters Update 2
Concorde On Loan
Every now and then the museum loans its precious artefacts and display items out for exhibition and display purposes at the discretion of the committee. Earlier this year a request was received from Bob Collis, one of the museum’s longest-serving members, for the use of a model Concorde in a week-long exhibition at The Grit Arts & Heritage Centre in Lowestoft, as part of the annual Heritage Open Days (HODs) Festival, which takes place round about the second week in September.
The theme of this year’s HODs was “Wondrous inventions” and Bob had already hatched a plan before the model request arrived. Lowestoft man Leo Whisstock had been the design draughtsman who did the drawings for the original passenger seats aboard the iconic supersonic jet, and he still had a copy of the dyeline drawing he did in 1969 whilst employed at Aircraft Furnishings Ltd,. “I already had a folder of Concorde items donated by Roger Smith the Chair of Lowestoft Aviation Society” said Bob, “With Leo’s drawing and a few more Concorde items he had “liberated” during a seat aboard an aircraft carrying out fast taxi trials at Filton, we had all the makings of a half-decent exhibition.”
The display was set up on Monday 12 September and went through three different configurations as tables and other exhibitions were moved around during the course of the week. At one stage three separate exhibitions, a working replica ENIGMA machine, the Concorde and a photographic display from the Port of Lowestoft Research Society were laid out in the new Atrium.
Bob takes up the story:
“As I am sure you are all aware, our hopes and aspirations for running a full programme of HODs events this year all went out of the window following the sad announcement of the death of Her Majesty the Queen on Thursday 8 September. The Lowestoft HODs Steering Group immediately cancelled several events that had any celebratory connection. Several buildings were closed by their respective council owners or operators and those events which went ahead did so in the shadow of a country in mourning. It was a strange and unique situation. In conjunction with Piers Colby, who operates The Grit, I took the decision to go ahead. I also had the exhibition out for the evening events, although the drawing and paper items were removed to avoid the risk of ‘drink spillage‘.
While the place was never packed out with visitors during the day, some very interesting conversations ensued and there were some highly complimentary comments in the visitors book. On the final day, Leo brought his favourite graphite pencil – the same pencil he did the Concorde drawing with 53 years ago – and signed the visitors book with it. ‘A very good display for the iconic plane‘ he wrote ‘Good to be a part of it‘.”
Bob C
(Photos) Concorde On Loan
Bury St Edmunds and the Cavity Magnetron
Concord isn’t the only exhibit to have been placed on loan for the inventions event. We were approached by Bury St Edmunds guildhall, who were also running an event. The request was for “a world-changing invention”. The Cavity Magnetron fitted the bill perfectly.
Arrangements were made for a member who lives in Bury to transport the item to the guildhall. Here Ray Kidd, our electronics expert, explains why the magnetron changed the world.
On Loan To Bury St Edmunds
“The development of radar in the 1930s needed very high radio power at short wavelengths. Conventional valves with glass enclosures and external connections to tuned circuits could not generate the power needed or the short wavelengths.
Magnetron valves were known, using a magnetic field to deflect the electron stream. Cavity resonators as tuned circuits were also known.
The invention was to put the cavity resonators inside the valve envelope, giving short wavelength radiation from an easily cooled metal body. Top secret during WW2 today most households own one in their “microwave”.
The exhibit does not have its magnet, which was part of the equipment.”
Steve B & Ray K
The Repeat Info
The repeat information is still here I’m afraid, and I make no apologies for keeping his section in our blog. We are a charitable organisation relying on monies from the public to keep us going. Any help we receive is gratefully accepted and enables the museum to continue in our mission “To conserve, preserve and promote the history of aviation in East Anglia, whilst providing a fun, family-friendly and interactive museum, promoting education and remembrance of the events of the past“.
Are you thinking of helping ??
We obtain most of our finances by donations and by membership fees. We save money by having a dedicated group of volunteers that keep the museum and the exhibits both manned and maintained. We hope therefore a few people may consider helping in the ways below.
There are three easy ways to help: Help by becoming a Museum Member, also by Volunteering to help at the museum, or by Donating to assist in our running costs. Please click on the appropriate button below to access the appropriate information:
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