– especially its Chairman Chris Roberts who made his first RAF Hunter training flight in this very aircraft – to explore ideas for its preservation. After careful consideration, the association agreed to take up the challenge and a major joint recov- ery operation was eventually planned and successfully carried out between 22nd and 26th July with Museum volunteers (notably from Dave Cotton’s Hawker P.1127 restoration team) assisting the association, council staff and local contractors W Finch & Co Ltd tackling the challenging task of removing the Hunter from its pole and then removing the wings so that the dismantled aircraft could be transported to a new temporary home at Dunsfold Park where its restoration will next be planned. After an 18-hour operation on Sunday 22nd, the Hunter was craned off its perch then onto a low-loader and the port wing was removed before further work was postponed until Tuesday 24th. Now owned by the Hawker Association, XL623 is set for a new lease of life on public display at a more appropri- ate location still to be decided, and Museum per- sonnel will continue to support this significant heritage project. Events Besides our department’s ongoing support for larger Museum events, particularly by providing barriers and gazebos and supplying electricity to outlying areas, Lee Harvey and I were invited to attend a useful meeting on 6th June at the National Portrait Gallery for facility managers from some of London’s major cultural attractions, including Kew Gardens and the British Museum. RAF veterans Alan and Ted Smith visited on
8th June and, as Ted had served in World War Two as a Wellington tail-gunner with 90 Squadron at RAF Tuddenham in Suffolk, they were delighted to be able to inspect the rear turret
53
Tail-gunner Ted Smith with our Wellington on 8th June (Julian Temple).
of ‘R for ‘Robert’ when exploring the Factory exhibition. Charlie Broomfield’s remarkable roadworthy
Rolls-Royce Meteor-engined Rover SD1 car vis- ited from Grantham on 13th June and its owner enjoyed meeting some of our Hurricane team who showed him its Merlin Mk2 for comparison. On 16th June I attended the latest Aviation
Heritage UK meeting, hosted by the Trenchard Museum at RAF Halton near Aylesbury. Together with colleagues, I also attended a preview open- ing of the RAF Museum’s major new exhibitions at Hendon on 26th June and a special tour of Bletchley Park hosted by its CEO Iain Standen on 24th July. All of these visits provided useful opportunities to meet and get to know others responsible for running these important heritage attractions.
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