Updated 14 June 2007

MUSEUM IS NOW OPEN! More...

Update 26 November 2003

LATEST MUSEUM NEWS NOW ON BAS OWN WEB SITE

From 29 October 2004, I will no longer post information here about the Bentwaters Cold War Museum because the Bentwaters Aviation Society now has its own web site, at www.Bentwaters-AS.org.uk.

PLANS START TO BECOME REALITY

The new plan sees the former hardened wing operations centre 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.

On 31st May, work on the museum project started in earnest when the newly formed Bentwaters Aviation Society began clearing unwanted fixtures & fittings from the command post. The drawing (below) gives a good idea of the proposed layout of the ‘Cold War’ museum with all aspects of the Twin-Bases history being covered.

The main visitor attractions in the command post will undoubtedly be the fully restored War Operations Room and Battle Cabin. A team from Bentwaters Aviation Society have sourced communications equipment and consoles from a similar command post and brought it to Bentwaters. This task was completed on 15th October and was seen as a major landmark in the museum’s development. At the time of writing all the equipment is being installed into the Bentwaters command post.

The most difficult area so far has been to acquire ex-Bentwaters aircraft. There are a surprising number of these extant: an A-10 in the UK; 14 ex-81st TFW F-4Cs in Spain; a few ex-81st FBW F-84Fs at a number of airfields in Germany.

Although the latter two types ended their operational lives with NATO, the USAF Museum still has the final say in their fate, as they were purchased via the Mutual Defence Assistance Program (MDAP). In the UK the IWM at Duxford is responsible for coordinating the USAFM ‘loan’ scheme and, owing to recent policy changes, it has become increasingly difficult for private, foreign (i.e. non-U.S.) organisations to obtain surplus USAF airframes. It may not be possible to acquire any relevant airframes for the museum, but this should not affect the project as a whole.

Graham Haynes
Technical Advisor
Bentwaters Museum Project

Update 20 May 2003

Work starts any day now!

2003 is the 10th anniversary of the USAF departure from RAF Bentwaters. It seems fitting, therefore, that work will begin this year on a museum, to be named The Bentwaters Cold War Museum, at the former RAF Bentwaters.  The museum will be dedicated to preserving the aviation heritage with which the base has become synonymous during almost half a century of its history from 1944 until 1993.

Plans for a museum were announced at the 81st Fighter Wing Association's "50th" reunion, held at RAF Bentwaters in September 2001, fifty years after the USAF arrived at the base. Originally, a room in the control tower was to be set aside for memorabilia, photos etc.. The revised plan is more appropriate to the memory of the 81st Tactical Fighter Wing. The Bentwaters Cold War Museum will also encompass the other half of the former Twin-Base complex, RAF Woodbridge.

The new plan sees the former hardened wing operations centre (WOC) as the nucleus of the museum. A number of other key buildings and areas on the base will be restored, and included on a proposed bus tour. The WOC, or 'command bunker', has an interesting history itself. Operation El Dorado Canyon - the 1986 USAF raids on Col Gadaffi's HQ in Libya - was planned and controlled from here.

On 31st May work on the museum project will start in earnest when a volunteer workforce will begin clearing unwanted fixtures & fittings from the command bunker. This building is ideal for a museum, as even without exhibits, one can just look around trying to visualise the operational activity. The physical size of the command bunker means that it will take a large number of exhibits to fill it. This will take several years to complete. But the project team have already decided what each room will be used for. Some will be restored to an 'operational' appearance. The drawing, right (click to enlarge) shows the proposed layout of the Bentwaters Cold War Museum, with all aspects of the Twin-Bases history being covered.

The amount of work involved in setting up a museum cannot be underestimated. It has been a long hard slog so far, and it is unlikely to get any easier. Initial efforts will concentrate on restoring and preparing the museum infrastructure, in particular the command bunker.

Before very long, Bentwaters will once again be an attraction for aviation enthusiasts, young and old, and will prove to be the perfect location for re-kindling those memories from the 'good old days.'

To tie in with the museum we have started the Bentwaters Aviation Society. The membership of BAS will form the basis of the volunteer workforce for the Bentwaters Cold War Museum, but will also meet monthly, in a dedicated meeting room located within the command bunker. Meetings will have a similar format to those of most other aviation societies with slide shows; guest speakers, organised visits to airbases and aviation museums, etc..

If you want to find out more about joining the Bentwaters Aviation Society, and helping with the museum project, please contact me through the email link below.

Graham Haynes
Technical Advisor
Bentwaters Museum Project

Update October 2002

Bentwaters Museum is confirmed

Extracted from EADT article Thursday 10 October, 2002 by Richard Smith

The Wing Operations Centre (and not the Control Tower, as was previously considered) will become the heart of a visitor attraction at RAF Bentwaters. The building, also known as the Command Centre, is the blast-proof building alongside the 81st TFW HQ building, which was used during the 1980s raids on Lybia.

Displays of military vehicles will be established and the Kemball family, owners of the airfield, hope to bring in old aircraft but the museum is still very much in the planning stage - don't expect too much too soon!

Bill Kemball appealed to people who used to work on the base to contribute artefacts and information for the Cold War museum and to contact him on +44 (0)1394 460655.

15 September 2001

THE MUSEUM PLAN IS LAUNCHED!