| On the night of 3/4 June 1943, a Wellington
bomber (HE 746) was on a flight from RAF Wing near Leighton Buzzard when
it suffered a failure to one of its Bristol Hercules engines. The crew
advised flying control at RAF Dumfries of their situation and requested
an emergency landing; unfortunately the aircraft crashed 1½ miles
from the airfield runway. Three of the crew were killed and two others
were seriously injured. This aircraft was to become the catalyst for the
foundation of the highly respected Dumfries and Galloway Aviation
Museum.
Thirty years on, a small group of aviation enthusiasts heard of
the crash site, and although official records stated that the site had
been cleared, rumours abounded of the engines being still on the site.
Attempts to dig up the engines took place during the winter of 1973-74
without success, however, with the help of a local contracting firm the
two Bristol Hercules engines were brought to the surface, one of which
still had its wooden propeller. This engine has been the star of our
aero engine collection ever since, being widely regarded as one of the
finest recovered engines in the United Kingdom.
Over the next 2 years further excavations took place bringing to
light many other artefacts and it soon became clear that there should be
some object to these and in early 1976 the Dumfries and Galloway
Aviation Group was formed. It was agreed that the collection of ever
expanding artefacts should be displayed and the old airfield was the
obvious choice of location for housing the "new" Museum! The
building finally chosen was the old pilot's flight hut which was last
occupied by the local Dumfries Gliding Club which gave the building a
long history in aviation. Over the remainder of the year a vast amount
of memorabilia began to appear and the first complete airframes - a
Vampire T11 and Meteor T7 were acquired from the Royal Aircraft
Establishment at West Freugh, an airfield 80 miles west of Dumfries near
the town of Stranraer. It was decided to open to the public the
following year for the summer season and so in 1977 the Dumfries and
Galloway Aviation Museum was established.
The opening ceremony was conducted by Michal Cwynar DFC a Polish
fighter ace who became the Museum's patron. (See last paragraph for
short history)
In 1979, after other aircraft had been acquired namely the
F-100, T-33 and Mystere, it was decided that the small amount of ground
surrounding the flight hut was inadequate and it was at this time the
Museum moved into the unique three story watch tower (control tower)
where the Museum resides today, housing one of the best collections of
memorabilia in the country. Over the years the Museum has expanded both
in aircraft, artefacts and area surrounding the control tower; it has
become a highly respected Museum and well worth a visit. Being able to
inspect aircraft and engines up close and in some instances sit in the
cockpit is much enjoyed by visitors. In 2003 the Museum became a
registered charity. The Museum's staff continuously strives to improve
both the site and visitor enjoyment and greatly appreciate all comments
made. If you have visited the Museum and would like to make a comment or
suggestion, please contact us in writing or by e-mail.
Squadron Leader Cwynar DFC fought the Luftwaffe from the early
days of WW11 in Poland. Escaping from his beloved homeland he eventually
made his way to France and then to the United Kingdom. After arriving at
Liverpool he had short stays in Glasgow and Blackpool, he was then
posted to 15 Flying Training School at RAF Carlisle to check out his
flying skills after which he was posted to the 10 Bomber & Gunnery
School at RAF Dumfries flying Fairey Battle aircraft in the target
towing role. After three months at Dumfries he was sent to a fighter
operational training unit (OTU) and then to 315 Polish Squadron, Royal
Air Force. He would spend most of the war with this squadron, flying
Hurricanes, Spitfires and Mustangs. Later, he would become commander of
316 Squadron. After the War, Michal returned to Dumfries and made the
town his home. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the
Polish Order of Military Virtue and Cross of Valour. |