Aviation Museums Kent UK – RAF Manston

Warbirds Online has visited the UK many times over the years and extensively toured the Historic Warbird Aviation Museums throughout the country. One of the most significant areas of the UK from an aviation perspective is the county of Kent, scene of massive action during WWII especially during the Battle of Britain.

Throughout Kent were a large number of WWII era airfields with a rich history, most have now however succumbed to developers bulldozers with just a handful remaining. One of the largest survivors is the Ex RAF Manston which in fact dates back to 1916 where it was established as a Royal Naval Station, with a base at Westgate Bay for seaplanes. The early airfield was on the area now occupied by the passenger terminal. Further WWI development included four underground hangars, its own railway line to Birchington, a power station to generate electricity, barracks for 3,000 men and even an indoor swimming pool.

During WWII the base was a major staging post in the defence of southern UK particularly in the Battle of Britain and also as the staging post for Barnes Wallace to test the Dam Busters “Bouncing Bomb” at the nearby Reculver estuary site. Latter it was also a major base for the rest of the war for the allied forces.  Post WWII the base was utilized by the RAF and USAF up to 2014 when it closed and is currently pending a decision as to reopening again.

Located on a portion of the Airfield are two significant Museums, the Spitfire and Hurricane memorial Museum and the RAF Manston History Museum. The latter is presently temporarily closed as it is receiving a comprehensive rebuilding. We visited both museums in 2010 and were very impressed with both sites and they are certainly worth including on any trip to the UK. Please note that both Museums are located adjacent to each other.

Spitfire & Hurricane Memorial Museum

The Spitfire & Hurricane Memorial Museum is dedicated predominantly to the WWII role of the Supermarine Spitfire and the Hawker Hurricane, not just in the Battle of Britain but also throughout the conflict. Naturally enough the displays are centered on a Spitfire and a Hurricane.

The Spitfire is Supermarine Spitfire MK XVI(LF) TB752 which saw combat action during 1945 and is beautifully presented. This aircraft was constructed at Castle Bromwich in the early part of 1944 and entered service with No. 66 Squadron at RAF Linton-on-Ouse in March 1945 bearing the Squadron Code LZ-F. The Spitfire was engaged in missions in Northern Holland and Germany. Later war service included No. 403 “Wolf” Squadron RCAF and it scored at least 5 victories. Post war the Spitfire ended up as a “gate guardian” at RAF Manston but was subsequently rescued and restored and eventually made its way into the Museum in pristine condition.

The Hurricane on display is Hawker Hurricane IIC LF751. She was built at Langley in 1944 and served with No. 1681 Bomber Defence Training Flight and No. 27 Operational Training Unit based at Waterbeach during WWII and was coded  ‘FB-B’. During July 1945 LF751 was relegated to instructional purposes with the code 5466M Post war LF751 was refurbished for long-term external display as a Mark IID. Whilst on external display the Hurricane deteriorated considerably and was eventually restored by the Medway Aircraft Preservation Society (MAPS) from 1985 and moved back to her current resting place within the Museum following a mammoth effort. Housed and fund raising started immediately. Such was the response that TB 752 moved into her permanent ‘quarters’ early in 1981.

The Museum also contains a host of artifacts from other aircraft from WWII aircraft, ground support material, weapons and wreckage. Also on display is an example of the Barnes Wallace “Bouncing Bomb” recovered from the sea at nearby Reculver where the bombs were tested having been flown out from RAF Manston by DH Mosquitos and AVRO Lancasters.

This is a smaller museum but is beautifully presented and with a very well displayed and documented collection and would take several hours to examine properly.

RAF Manston History Museum

The RAF Manston History Museum was developed from the RAF Manston History Club in 1986. It seeks to cover the period of the establishment or the Airfield in 1916 when it opened as a Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) up to the closure of the airfield in 2014. One of the Museum buildings is in fact one of the original 1916 buildings. This is another excellent museum with a host of aircraft and exhibits covering the near century of operations of the facility.

The extensive collection of aircraft is very interesting if a little eclectic, including;

RAF Manston History Museum Aircraft

• Blackburn Buccaneer S.2B, XV352, (Cockpit)
• Canadair T-133 Silver Star Mk.3, G-BYOY
• De Havilland Chipmunk T.10, WP772
• English Electric Canberra B.15, WT205 (Cockpit)
• English Electric Lightning F.6, XR770
• The V-1 flying bomb (Perhaps a replica?)
• Gloster Meteor T.T.20, WD646.
• Handley-Page Victor K.2, XL190 (Cockpit)
• Huntair Pathfinder 2 Microlight.
• Hunting Percival Jet Provost T.4, XR658
• Nieuport 17 replica, A.213
• Panavia Tornado GR.1T, ZA325 (Cockpit).
• PZL-Mielec TS-11 Iskra, SP-DOF.
• SEPECAT Jaguar GR.3, XZ106
• Short SD.3-30 Srs.100, G-SSWP (Cockpit).
• Slingsby T.31B Cadet TX.3, XA312
• Slingsby T.38 Grasshopper TX.1, XA231
• Sopwith 1½ Strutter replica, B.619
• Westland Wessex HU.5, XS482
• Westland Whirlwind HAS.7, XN380

This Museum also hosts a large collection of weapons, equipment and Military airfield support vehicles and is certainly an excellent Museum to visit for any enthusiast. Please note that the Museum is temporarily closed whilst it undergoes a massive rebuild and refurbishment which can only enhance its appeal in the future so please check its current status before you visit.

Manston Airport Aircraft

At the time of our visit Manston Airport was also the home of a number of redundant airliners which for the most part have now disappeared most likely having been scrapped over the intervening years. Another feature present during our visit was the Defence Fire Training and Development Centre (DFTDC, formerly FSCTE Manston) which we believe has since closed in 2020 however a number of aircraft, mostly ex RAF operational types still remain to be seen on satellite vision. These aircraft are not accessible.

Warbirds Online certainly recommends a visit to Manston Kent UK when time permits – it’s well worth your time.

© John Parker 2021