Museum
Northolt Museum
Polish Air Force Exhibition tour dates 2024
RAF Northolt, which hosts the only exhibition and museum dedicated to the Polish Air Force in Britain, has advised dates for organised tours to the museum in 2024.
These visits, which will now also include the restored Sector Operations Room, are as follows and all on Sundays:
28 January, 24 March, 26 May, 28 July, 29 September and 24 November.
The Exhibition is housed in The Polish Air Force Room in the heart of the Officers’ Mess. It tells the story of the Polish Air Force and its achievements during the Second World War in Poland, France and England. It combines personal memorabilia, artworks, aircraft models, photographs, and display panels.
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It is particularly fitting the Exhibition is at RAF Northolt, which for most of the war was home to a Polish Fighter Wing of three Squadrons on rotation. In 1940, the 303 (Polish) Tadeusz Kościuszko City of Warsaw Squadron, flying Hurricanes, became the most successful Squadron of any that fought in the Battle of Britain with 126 confirmed victories, despite only being operational for less than half the period of the Battle.
Each tour will be limited to 15 people and applications should be made via the Contacts page on the PAFMC website
www.polishairforcememorialcommittee.org/contact-2
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For Group visits separate arrangements can be made on other dates. Tours will start at 14.00 after checking in beforehand at the RAF Northolt Main Gate. This is the second gate on the A4180 West End Road, when approaching from the A40 Polish Air Force Memorial round about.
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As RAF Northolt is an operational base visitors attending by car will need to confirm, prior to the visit, vehicle make, model, colour and registration. Photo ID will also be required to access the base. For those attending by public transport the nearest Underground Station is Ruislip Gardens approximately 200 yards from the Main Gate security office on the A4180 West End Road. All visits are subject to overriding operational requirements.
There is no charge for visiting the exhibition, which is housed at RAF Northolt by kind permission of the Station Commander, but as funding for exhibits and conservation is all met privately through the Polish Air Force Memorial Committee and guides give up their time voluntarily, donations to the Polish Air Force Memorial Committee are appreciated. There is also a small selection of books, pamphlets and DVDs available for cash sales.
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Battle of Britain Bunker
In addition to the museum at RAF Northolt, a permanent exhibition on the Polish Air Force has been created at the Battle of Britain Bunker, Uxbridge. This is the result of collaboration between the London Borough of Hillingdon and the Polish Air Force Memorial Committee, which has loaned the items on display from its growing collection of memorabilia. The exhibits include a replica of the wartime Polish Air Force Standard, which is paraded annually at the Northolt Memorial Commemoration and at the Battle of Britain Service at Capel le Ferne, Kent.
