1.
RAF Cosford
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Royal Air Force Cosford or RAF Cosford is a Royal Air Force station in Cosford, Shropshire, just to the northwest of Wolverhampton and next to Albrighton. RAF Cosford opened in 1938 as a joint aircraft maintenance, storage and it has remained mainly a training unit to this day. The Fulton Mess barrack block was constructed just before the Second World War as the largest single building barrack block in the UK and it is now used for technical training. No 2 School of Technical Training was formed in 1938 and during the Second World War it trained 70,000 airmen in engine, airframe and armament trades. No 2 School of Technical Training was subsumed into the No 1 School of Technical Training when it moved to Cosford from RAF Halton in Buckinghamshire and these ferrying flights were often crewed by women pilots and Amy Johnson came to Cosford on more than one occasion. The airfield was originally a grassed strip, a substantial Princess Marys Royal Air Force Nursing Service hospital was established at RAF Cosford, the most westerly such RAF hospital in the UK. Constructed of wooden spurred hutting the hospital was the centre for repatriated Prisoners of War with over 13,000 processed by 1948. Many of those from the Far East had to remain for long term treatment, the hospital was also open to the general public as well as servicemen and women, but it was closed on 31 December 1977 and demolished in 1980. Schools currently stationed there include, No.1 School of Technical Training, No.1 Radio School RAF, the Defence School of Photography, Flying units include the University of Birmingham Air Squadron, No 8 Air Experience Flight and No 633 Volunteer Gliding Squadron. The Wales and West regional headquarters and West Mercian Wing headquarters of the Air Training Corps are situated there, Cosford became part of the Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering, which was formed on 1 April 2004. Other units located at Cosford include elements of the Defence College of Communications and Information Systems, the Defence School of Photography and the RAF School of Physical Training. In early 2009 there was a chance that the DCAE would relocate to RAF St Athan. The Defence College at RAF Cosford came under the Defence Technical Training Change Programme and as such, Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering Cosford HQ DCAE Aerosystems Training Wing Military Training Wing Lodger Units RAF Museum Cosford. No 1 Radio School (Part of the Defence College of Communication and Information Systems, Defence School of Photography RAF School of Physical Training. No 605 County of Warwick Squadron University of Birmingham Air Squadron No 8 Air Experience Flight HQ Wales, headquarters West Mercia West Wing Air Training Corps. There are also collections of missiles and airliners, the Cold War Exhibition opened on 7 February 2007 by former prime minister Baroness Thatcher and HRH Princess Anne. Exhibits include the collection of three V bombers in the same place in the world. As a consequence, it was anticipated that all training would move from Cosford to Metrixs main campus to be built on the RAF St Athan site over a 5-year period from 2008
2.
Aviation museum
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An aviation museum, air museum, or aerospace museum is a museum exhibiting the history and artifacts of aviation. In addition to actual or replica aircraft, exhibits can include photographs, maps, models, dioramas, clothing, aviation museums vary in size from housing just one or two aircraft to hundreds. They may be owned by national, regional or local governments or be privately owned, some museums address the history and artifacts of space exploration as well, illustrating the close association between aeronautics and astronautics. Aviation museums may display their aircraft only on the ground or fly some of them, museums that do not fly their aircraft may have decided not to do so either because the aircraft are not in condition to fly or because they are considered too rare or valuable. Museums may fly their aircraft in air shows or other related events. Some museums have sets of periodicals, technical manuals, photographs and these are often made available to aviation researchers for use in writing articles or books or to aircraft restoration specialists working on restoring an aircraft
3.
Shropshire
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Shropshire Council was created in 2009, a unitary authority taking over from the previous county council and five district councils. The borough of Telford and Wrekin has been a unitary authority since 1998. The county has many towns, including Whitchurch in the north, Newport north-east of Telford. The Ironbridge Gorge area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, covering Ironbridge, Coalbrookdale, there are other historic industrial sites in the county, such as at Shrewsbury, Broseley, Snailbeach and Highley, as well as the Shropshire Union Canal. The Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty covers about a quarter of the county, Shropshire is one of Englands most rural and sparsely populated counties, with a population density of 136/km2. The Wrekin is one of the most famous landmarks in the county, though the highest hills are the Clee Hills, Stiperstones. Wenlock Edge is another significant geographical and geological landmark, the River Severn, Great Britains longest river, runs through the county, exiting into Worcestershire via the Severn Valley. Shropshire is landlocked and with an area of 3,487 square kilometres is Englands largest inland county, the county flower is the round-leaved sundew. The area was part of the lands of the Cornovii. This was a tribal Celtic iron age kingdom and their capital in pre-Roman times was probably a hill fort on the Wrekin. Ptolemys 2nd century Geography names one of their towns as being Viroconium Cornoviorum, after the Roman occupation of Britain ended in the 5th century, the Shropshire area was in the eastern part of the Welsh Kingdom of Powys, known in Welsh poetry as the Paradise of Powys. It was annexed to the Angle kingdom of Mercia by King Offa in the 8th century, in subsequent centuries, the area suffered repeated Danish invasion, and fortresses were built at Bridgnorth and Chirbury. Many defensive castles were built at this time across the county to defend against the Welsh and enable effective control of the region, including Ludlow Castle, the western frontier with Wales was not finally determined until the 14th century. Also in this period, a number of foundations were formed, the county largely falling at this time under the Diocese of Hereford. The county contains a number of historically significant towns, including Shrewsbury, Bridgnorth, additionally, the area around Coalbrookdale in the county is seen as highly significant, as it is regarded as one of the birthplaces of the Industrial Revolution. The village of Edgmond, near Newport, is the location of the lowest recorded temperature in England, the origin of the name Shropshire is the Old English Scrobbesbyrigscīr, which means Shrewsburyshire. The name may, therefore, be derived indirectly from a name such as Scrope. Salop is an old name for Shropshire, historically used as a form for post or telegrams
4.
Royal Air Force
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The Royal Air Force is the United Kingdoms aerial warfare force. Formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, following victory over the Central Powers in 1918 the RAF emerged as, at the time, the largest air force in the world. The RAF describe its mission statement as, an agile, adaptable and capable Air Force that, person for person, is second to none, and that makes a decisive air power contribution in support of the UK Defence Mission. The mission statement is supported by the RAFs definition of air power, Air power is defined as the ability to project power from the air and space to influence the behaviour of people or the course of events. Today the Royal Air Force maintains a fleet of various types of aircraft. The majority of the RAFs rotary-wing aircraft form part of the tri-service Joint Helicopter Command in support of ground forces, most of the RAFs aircraft and personnel are based in the UK, with many others serving on operations or at long-established overseas bases. It was founded on 1 April 1918, with headquarters located in the former Hotel Cecil, during the First World War, by the amalgamation of the Royal Flying Corps, at that time it was the largest air force in the world. The RAFs naval aviation branch, the Fleet Air Arm, was founded in 1924, the RAF developed the doctrine of strategic bombing which led to the construction of long-range bombers and became its main bombing strategy in the Second World War. The RAF underwent rapid expansion prior to and during the Second World War, under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan of December 1939, the air forces of British Commonwealth countries trained and formed Article XV squadrons for service with RAF formations. Many individual personnel from countries, and exiles from occupied Europe. By the end of the war the Royal Canadian Air Force had contributed more than 30 squadrons to serve in RAF formations, additionally, the Royal Australian Air Force represented around nine percent of all RAF personnel who served in the European and Mediterranean theatres. In the Battle of Britain in 1940, the RAF defended the skies over Britain against the numerically superior German Luftwaffe, the largest RAF effort during the war was the strategic bombing campaign against Germany by Bomber Command. Following victory in the Second World War, the RAF underwent significant re-organisation, during the early stages of the Cold War, one of the first major operations undertaken by the Royal Air Force was in 1948 and the Berlin Airlift, codenamed Operation Plainfire. Before Britain developed its own nuclear weapons the RAF was provided with American nuclear weapons under Project E and these were initially armed with nuclear gravity bombs, later being equipped with the Blue Steel missile. Following the development of the Royal Navys Polaris submarines, the nuclear deterrent passed to the navys submarines on 30 June 1969. With the introduction of Polaris, the RAFs strategic nuclear role was reduced to a tactical one and this tactical role was continued by the V bombers into the 1980s and until 1998 by Tornado GR1s. For much of the Cold War the primary role of the RAF was the defence of Western Europe against potential attack by the Soviet Union, with many squadrons based in West Germany. With the decline of the British Empire, global operations were scaled back, despite this, the RAF fought in many battles in the Cold War period
5.
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
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The Ministry of Defence is the British government department responsible for implementing the defence policy set by Her Majestys Government and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces. The MoD states that its objectives are to defend the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and its interests and to strengthen international peace. The MoD also manages day-to-day running of the forces, contingency planning. As rearmament became a concern during the 1930s, Stanley Baldwin created the position of Minister for Coordination of Defence. Winston Churchill, on forming his government in 1940, created the office of Minister of Defence to exercise control over the Chiefs of Staff Committee. The post was held by the Prime Minister of the day until Clement Attlees government introduced the Ministry of Defence Act of 1946, the new ministry was headed by a Minister of Defence who possessed a seat in the Cabinet. These departments merged in 1964, the functions of the Ministry of Aviation Supply merged into the Ministry of Defence in 1971. The Ministers in the Ministry of Defence are as follows, The Ministers and Chiefs of the Defence Staff are supported by a number of civilian, scientific, the Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Defence is the senior civil servant at the MoD. His or her role is to ensure the MoD operates effectively as a department of the government, Permanent Under-Secretary of State, Stephen Lovegrove—commencing April 2016 Defence Equipment & Support CEO - Tony Douglas — commencing 2016 Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Vernon C. He is supported by the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, vice-Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir Gordon Messenger, Royal Marines. First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Sir Philip Jones, Royal Navy Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Nick Carter, the Surgeon General, represents the Defence Medical Services on the Defence Staff, and is the clinical head of that service. These forces must be capable of representing Britain as lead nation in any coalition operations, the ability, at longer notice, to deploy forces in a large-scale operation while running a concurrent small-scale operation. The MoD has since been regarded as a leader in elaborating the post-Cold War organising concept of defence diplomacy, the UK is establishing air and naval bases in the Persian Gulf, located in the UAE and Bahrain. A presence in Oman is also being considered, the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 included £178 billion investment in new equipment and capabilities. The review set a policy with four primary missions for the Armed Forces, Defend and contribute to the security and resilience of the UK. Contribute to improved understanding of the world through strategic intelligence and the defence network. Reinforce international security and the capacity of our allies, partners. Conduct operations to restore peace and stability, conduct major combat operations if required, including under NATO Article 5
6.
Charitable organization
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A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization. It differs from types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals as well as social well-being. The legal definition of charitable organization varies according to the country, the regulation, tax treatment, and the way in which charity law affects charitable organizations also varies. Financial figures are important indicators to assess the sustainability of a charity. This information can impact a charitys reputation with donors and societies, and thus, Charitable organizations often depend partly on donations from for-profit-organizations. Such donations to charitable organizations represent a form of corporate philanthropy. Until the mid-18th century, charity was mainly distributed through parish relief, churches, almshouses, Charities were also responsible for education, health, housing and even prisons. It was in the Enlightenment era that charitable and philanthropic activity among voluntary associations, societies, gentlemans clubs, and mutual associations began to flourish in England and the upper-classes increasingly adopted a philanthropic attitude toward the disadvantaged. This new social activism was channeled into the establishment of charitable organizations and this emerging upper-class fashion for benevolence resulted in the incorporation of the first charitable organizations. This was the first such charity in the world and served as the precedent for incorporated associational charities everywhere. Jonas Hanway, another notable philanthropist of the era established The Marine Society in 1756 as the first seafarers charity, by 1763, the Society had recruited over 10,000 men and it was incorporated by an Act of Parliament in 1772. Hanway was also instrumental in establishing the Magdalen Hospital to rehabilitate prostitutes and these organizations were funded by subscription and run as voluntary associations. Charities also began to adopt campaigning roles, where they would champion a cause, the process was however a lengthy one being finally concluded when Saudi Arabia abolished slavery in 1962. This period also saw growing philosophical debate between those who championed state intervention and those who believed that private charities should provide welfare, thomas Malthus, the political economist, criticized poor relief for paupers on economic and moral grounds and proposed leaving charity entirely to the private sector. His views were influential and informed the Victorian laissez-faire attitude toward state intervention for the poor. During the 19th century, a profusion of charitable organizations were set up to alleviate the conditions of the working class in the slums. The Labourers Friend Society, chaired by Lord Shaftesbury in the United Kingdom in 1830, was set up to working class conditions. This included the promotion of allotment of land to labourers for cottage husbandry that later became the allotment movement and this was one of the first housing associations, a philanthropic endeavour that flourished in the second half of the nineteenth century brought about by the growth of the middle class
7.
Royal Air Force Museum London
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It is part of the Royal Air Force Museum, a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Ministry of Defence and a registered charity. A second collection of exhibits, plus aircraft restoration facilities, is housed at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford at RAF Cosford in Shropshire, the museum was officially opened at the Colindale London site on 15 November 1972 by Queen Elizabeth II. The hangars housed 36 aircraft at opening, over the years, the collection increased, and aircraft not on display at Hendon were stored or displayed at smaller local RAF station museums. The first Director of the Museum was Dr John Tanner, who retired in 1987, in 1988, Dr Michael A. Fopp was appointed Director General of all three sites operated by the Museum. Retired Air Vice-Marshal Peter Dye replaced Fopp as Director General on 9 June 2010, in October 2014, it was announced that Maggie Appleton was to be appointed as CEO of the museum. Appleton took up the new role in January 2015, a departure from the role of Director General which was held by Peter Dye until his retirement in late 2014. It also includes the only complete Hawker Typhoon and the only Boulton Paul Defiant in the world, recently added to the museum is a Consolidated B-24 Liberator, which was moved to Hendon from Cosford. It was presented to the museum by the Indian Air Force, in exchange, a Vickers Valiant was sent to Cosford to become part of the new Cold War exhibition. In 2009 the museum took delivery of a FE2b World War I bomber, there is a large car park at the site, and reasonable public transport links, with Colindale tube station around a 10-minute walk away. The Battle of Britain Museum was opened by HM The Queen Mother in November 1978, the building itself must be distinguished enough to be worthy of commemorating such a feat of arms and large enough to accommodate the necessary collections and displays. The government has provided the Hendon site but, in the economic circumstances, has declined to meet any part of the capital cost. Since the Museum must be self-supporting, a Fund of £2 millions is necessary, the whole will be designed to constitute a permanent memorial to the men, women and machines involved in the great battle of 1940. Signed, Douglas Bader £1. 7m was raised to pay for the new museum within a year and this created a dedicated museum hall in which a unique collection of aircraft were displayed, along with other objects and artefacts. In April 2009, work began on The Battle of Britain Hall to improve lighting conditions and this new form of energy-saving lighting can change colour and light intensity while still being cheaper to run. It is kinder to the exhibits because it does not emanate UV light, works were completed in August 2009. Unable to secure funding for the ambitious Beacon project, the proposal lapsed, six years later, on 3 October 2016 the Battle of Britain Hall at Hendon was permanently closed after being in existence for some 38 years. The collection has been dispersed and the Battle of Britain will be presented across both the London and Cosford sites as part of other themed exhibitions within the RAF Centenarys celebrations
8.
Colindale
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Colindale is an area which lies mainly within the London Borough of Barnet, although the western side of Colindales main shopping street is within the London Borough of Brent. Colindale is an area of suburban character and it is situated about eight miles north west of Charing Cross. Formerly in the borough and ancient parish of Hendon, the area was essentially the dale between Mill Hill and The Burroughs, by the middle of the 20th century, it had come to include that part of the Edgware Road between The Hyde and Burnt Oak. The area is named after a 16th-century family of the same name, until the 20th century, Colindale was without any buildings save for a large house called Colindale Lodge, Colindale Farm and a few cottages. All of these properties were on Colindeep Lane which had in the period been an alternative route out of London to the Edgware Road. By the end of the 16th century it was not often used as a main road, by the end of the 19th century, cheap land prices made Colindale attractive to developers. Colindale Hospital was opened in 1898 as an asylum for the sick of central London. By 1996 the majority of the hospital was closed, and in 2009 lies mostly derelict, in 1902, the British Library built a new depository and kept the newspaper library there in 1934. Garston’s Ltd established a factory in 1901, as well as a row of cottages called Leatherville. As such it is the first manufacturer in the Colindale, by 1914 there was already housing between Colindale Avenue and Annesley Avenue, mostly to house the workers of such endeavours. Immediately after the First World War a number of manufacturing companies came to Colindale. Franco Illuminated Signs opened on Aerodrome Road in 1922, having made the lights for the Franco British Exhibition of 1908 and it was best known for the neon signs found in Piccadilly from the 1920s to the 1970s. Frigidaire started in a shack in Aerodrome Road, employing 11 people in 1923. The reason why many of these and other companies chose Colindale was that there was available for expansion. However, by 1923, when the railway reached Colindale, land prices had increased and factory expansion was not so easy. In 1931, Frigidaire, for example, decided to build a new manufacturing plant to the west, on the A5 Edgware Road, after the tube station opened, development as a London suburb was rapid, and by 1939 much of the western side was semi-detached housing. Typical was the Colin Park Estate, built by F. H. Stucke & Co. around Colindeep Lane in 1927, some of the houses on this estate are by the architect E. G. Trobridge. St Matthias started as a church in 1905
9.
Hendon
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Hendon is a London suburb in the Borough of Barnet,7 miles northwest of Charing Cross. Hendon was an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex and has part of Greater London since 1965. Hendon had a population of 52,972 in 2011 and includes the Hendon, Hendon West, Hendon was historically a civil parish in the county of Middlesex. The manor is described in Domesday, but the name Hendun – meaning at the highest hill – is of earlier origin. Evidence of Roman settlement was discovered by members of the Hendon and District Archaeological Society and others, the Midland Railway and the Great Northern Railways were built through Hendon in the 1860s. The underground arrived at Golders Green to the south in 1907, much of the area developed into a suburb of London and now the area is mostly built-up with some countryside in the Mill Hill area, such as the Copthall Playing fields. Hendons industry was centred on manufacturing, and included motor and aviation works. In 1931 the civil parish of Edgware was abolished and its area was added to the civil parish of Hendon. Hendon became an district in 1894. In 1932 the urban district became the Municipal Borough of Hendon, the municipal borough was abolished in 1965 and the area became part of the London Borough of Barnet. Hendon’s main claim to fame is in the days of flying. The area is associated with pioneer aviator Claude Grahame-White. Another part of the Aerodrome site is the Hendon Police College, the Metropolitan Police Book of Remembrance is displayed in the entrance of Simpson Hall at the centre. There is also a memorial garden and it is a former borough and ancient parish. The name means the place or down, and Hendons motto is Endeavour. The Burroughs is a centre for the London Borough of Barnet. The River Brent runs through Hendon, on 30 Nov 2009 the Environment Agency warned residents of flooding along River Brent from Hendon to Brentford, after a day of notably heavy rain. Several premises were flooded in Brentford and Perivale
10.
Elizabeth II
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Elizabeth II has been Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand since 6 February 1952. Elizabeth was born in London as the eldest child of the Duke and Duchess of York, later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth and her father acceded to the throne on the abdication of his brother Edward VIII in 1936, from which time she was the heir presumptive. She began to undertake duties during the Second World War. Elizabeths many historic visits and meetings include a visit to the Republic of Ireland. She has seen major changes, such as devolution in the United Kingdom, Canadian patriation. She has reigned through various wars and conflicts involving many of her realms and she is the worlds oldest reigning monarch as well as Britains longest-lived. In October 2016, she became the longest currently reigning monarch, in 2017 she became the first British monarch to commemorate a Sapphire Jubilee. Elizabeth has occasionally faced republican sentiments and press criticism of the family, however, support for the monarchy remains high. Elizabeth was born at 02,40 on 21 April 1926, during the reign of her paternal grandfather and her father, Prince Albert, Duke of York, was the second son of the King. Her mother, Elizabeth, Duchess of York, was the youngest daughter of Scottish aristocrat Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and she was delivered by Caesarean section at her maternal grandfathers London house,17 Bruton Street, Mayfair. Elizabeths only sibling, Princess Margaret, was born in 1930, the two princesses were educated at home under the supervision of their mother and their governess, Marion Crawford, who was casually known as Crawfie. Lessons concentrated on history, language, literature and music, Crawford published a biography of Elizabeth and Margarets childhood years entitled The Little Princesses in 1950, much to the dismay of the royal family. The book describes Elizabeths love of horses and dogs, her orderliness, others echoed such observations, Winston Churchill described Elizabeth when she was two as a character. She has an air of authority and reflectiveness astonishing in an infant and her cousin Margaret Rhodes described her as a jolly little girl, but fundamentally sensible and well-behaved. During her grandfathers reign, Elizabeth was third in the line of succession to the throne, behind her uncle Edward, Prince of Wales, and her father, the Duke of York. Although her birth generated public interest, she was not expected to become queen, many people believed that he would marry and have children of his own. When her grandfather died in 1936 and her uncle succeeded as Edward VIII, she became second-in-line to the throne, later that year, Edward abdicated, after his proposed marriage to divorced socialite Wallis Simpson provoked a constitutional crisis. Consequently, Elizabeths father became king, and she became heir presumptive, if her parents had had a later son, she would have lost her position as first-in-line, as her brother would have been heir apparent and above her in the line of succession
11.
Royal Air Force station
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A Royal Air Force station is a permanent Royal Air Force operations location. Most RAF stations are aerodromes, or airfields, being the home to one or more flying squadrons, other RAF stations are training units, administrative units, headquarters, or carry out ground-based operational tasks. Although many RAF units are called stations, they can only be properly classified as an RAF station if they are self-accounting with their own station commander. Units without a commander or headquarters staff will ordinarily be a satellite of an RAF station proper. In the early years of the RAF, very few of its bases were classified as stations, some bases which were locally known as RAF location name were officially listed under the units title. For example, No.1 Stores Depot was at RAF Kidbrooke which was described as No.1 Stores Depot in the official lists, in the years before World War II the RAF went through a period of rapid expansion. One means of achieving this expansion was to several units together at one location. This resulted in a growth in the number of stations. The commanding officer in charge of an RAF station is titled as the station commander, on flying units the station commander normally holds the rank of group captain. Most RAF stations are administratively sub-divided into wings, and are controlled by a station headquarters, on a flying station the subordinate wings have usually been called Operations Wing, Engineering Wing, and Administration Wing. Engineering wings are being split into Forward Support Wing and Depth Support Wings, while many Administration, flying stations are typically in remote or rural areas, and are geographically quite large in area. Non-flying RAF stations are much smaller in area than flying stations. They may be close to urban conurbations, and may sometimes be situated in historic mansions, manor houses, or other notable buildings of fine architectural quality. Current RAF stations are mainly in the United Kingdom, overseas RAF stations include RAF Akrotiri in Akrotiri and Dhekelia, RAF Gibraltar in Gibraltar, naval air station Royal Air Force official site
12.
British Airways
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British Airways, often shortened to BA, is the flag carrier and the largest airline in the United Kingdom based on fleet size. When measured by passengers carried, it is second-largest in the United Kingdom behind easyJet, the airline is based in Waterside near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. On 31 March 1974, all four companies were merged to form British Airways, after almost 13 years as a state company, British Airways was privatised in February 1987 as part of a wider privatisation plan by the Conservative government. The carrier soon expanded with the acquisition of British Caledonian in 1987, followed by Dan-Air in 1992, British Airways is a founding member of the Oneworld airline alliance, along with American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Qantas, and the now defunct Canadian Airlines. The alliance has since grown to become the third-largest, after SkyTeam, IAG is listed on the London Stock Exchange and in the FTSE100 Index. A long-time Boeing customer, British Airways ordered 59 Airbus A320 family aircraft in August 1998, in 2007 it purchased 12 Airbus A380s and 24 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, marking the start of its long-haul fleet replacement. The centrepiece of the airlines fleet is the Boeing 777. British Airways is the largest operator of the Boeing 747-400, with 51 registered to the airline, on 1 September 1972 the management service functions of both BOAC and BEA were combined under the newly formed British Airways Group. British Airways was established as an airline on 31 March 1974 by the dissolution of BOAC, British Airways and Air France operated the supersonic airliner Aerospatiale-BAC Concorde, and the worlds first supersonic passenger service flew in January 1976 from London Heathrow to Bahrain. Services to the US began on 24 May 1976 with a flight to Washington Dulles airport, service to Singapore was established in co-operation with Singapore Airlines as a continuation of the flight to Bahrain. The final commercial Concorde flight was BA002 from New York JFK to London Heathrow on 24 October 2003, in 1981 the airline was instructed to prepare for privatisation by the Conservative Thatcher government. Sir John King, later Lord King, was appointed chairman, while many other large airlines struggled, King was credited with transforming British Airways into one of the most profitable air carriers in the world. The flag carrier was privatised and was floated on the London Stock Exchange in February 1987, British Airways effected the takeover of the UKs second airline, British Caledonian, in July of that same year. The formation of Richard Bransons Virgin Atlantic Airways in 1984 created a competitor for BA and this campaign included allegations of poaching Virgin Atlantic customers, tampering with private files belonging to Virgin and undermining Virgins reputation in the City. As a result of the case BA management apologised unreservedly, Lord King stepped down as chairman in 1993 and was replaced by his deputy, Colin Marshall, while Bob Ayling took over as CEO. Virgin filed an action in the US that same year regarding BAs domination of the trans-Atlantic routes. In 1992 British Airways expanded through the acquisition of the financially troubled Dan-Air, British Asia Airways, a subsidiary based in Taiwan, was formed in March 1993 to operate between London and Taipei. That same month BA purchased a 25% stake in the Australian airline Qantas and, with the acquisition of Brymon Airways in May, in September 1998, British Airways, along with American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Qantas, and Canadian Airlines, formed the Oneworld airline alliance
13.
Cardington, Bedfordshire
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Cardington is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Bedford in Bedfordshire, England. However most of the former RAF station is actually in the parish of Eastcotts, as is the settlement of Shortstown, Cardington is the location of the two largest and most successful football clubs in Bedford Borough. Bedford Town F. C. compete at The New Eyrie stadium, Bedford F. C. use the McMullen Park stadium, and play in the Spartan South Midlands Football League Division One. Both of the stadiums are located next to each other on Meadow Lane in Cardington. Cardington Artificial Slalom Course is a whitewater canoe slalom course located on the edge of Cardington next to Priory Country Park. The course was the first if its kind to be built in the UK and it is also used as a main training area for the Viking Kayak Club. The church of St. Mary the Virgin has pieces dating from the 12th century and it is a Grade II listed building. Cardington became one of the major British sites involved in the development of airships when Short Brothers bought land there to build airships for the Admiralty and they constructed a 700-foot-long airship hangar in 1915 to enable them to build two rigid airships, the R-31 and the R-32. Some 800 people worked there in 1917, most of them travelled daily from Bedford, shorts also built a housing estate, opposite the site, which they named Shortstown. The airships site was nationalised in April 1919, becoming known as the Royal Airship Works, in preparation for the R101 project the No 1 shed was extended between October 1924 and March 1926, its roof was raised by 35 feet and its length increased to 812 feet. The No.2 shed, which had originally been located at RNAS Pulham, Norfolk, was dismantled in 1928, after the crash of the R101, in October 1930, all work stopped in Britain on airships. Cardington then became a storage station, in 1936/1937 Cardington started building barrage balloons, and it became the No 1 RAF Balloon Training Unit. For both airships and barrage balloons, Cardington manufactured its own hydrogen, in the Gas Factory, the two airship sheds ceased being part of the RAF Cardington site in the late 1940s and they were put to other uses. The fence was moved, so they were outside the main RAF Cardington site, from 1970, No.2 shed was used by the Fire Research Station for large-scale fire tests in sheltered conditions which could not be carried out at their site in Borehamwood, Herts. This shed was completely reclad for BRE in the 1990s by the Property Services Agency and its contractors, the site is currently being used for the development of a new design of airship, the Skycat, by the company Hybrid Air Vehicles. The camp was used to hold prisoners of war in transit. In early 2011 two Goodyear Blimps were refurbished in Shed 1, prior to their deployment on a European tour promoting road safety, Mary the Virgin Church in the Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland The Airship Heritage Trust – Cardington Sheds Many photos of Cardington Airship Hangars
14.
Marshal of the Royal Air Force
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Marshal of the Royal Air Force is the highest rank in the British Royal Air Force. In peacetime it was granted to RAF officers in the appointment of Chief of the Defence Staff, and to retired Chiefs of the Air Staff, who were promoted to it on their last day of service. While surviving marshals of the RAF retain the rank for life, the highest rank to which officers on active service are promoted is now air chief marshal. In 2012, Charles, Prince of Wales was promoted to the rank while in 2014 Lord Stirrup, marshal of the Royal Air Force is a five-star rank and unlike the air marshal ranks, can properly be considered a marshal rank. MRAF has a NATO ranking code of OF-10, equivalent to an admiral of the fleet in the Royal Navy or a marshal in the British Army. The rank was instituted in 1919 and the first officer to be promoted to MRAF was Sir Hugh Trenchard in 1927, since that time, including Trenchard, there have been 27 men who have held the rank. Of those,22 have been professional RAF officers and five have been members of the British Royal Family. King George V did not formally hold the rank of marshal of the RAF, in this capacity from time to time he wore RAF uniform with the rank insignia of a marshal of the RAF. He first publicly wore such uniform in 1935, the year before his death, both held high command during World War II. Harris was Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Bomber Command and Douglas was Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Fighter Command, Middle East Command, prior to the creation of the RAFs officer rank titles in 1919, it was proposed that by analogy with field marshal, the highest rank title should be air marshal. It was later decided to use the rank of air marshal as an equivalent rank to lieutenant general and marshal of the air was put forward as the highest RAF rank. This new rank title was opposed by the then Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Sir Henry Wilson, however, the Chief of the Air Staff, Sir Hugh Trenchard was unmoved and the title was adopted. Though never held by a Royal Air Force officer, the title of marshal of the air lasted until April 1925. It has also reported that King George V was not happy with the title of marshal of the air. The rank insignia consists of four light blue bands above a light blue band on a broad black band. Marshals of the Royal Air Force wear shoulder boards with their service dress at ceremonial events, prior to 1953, the Tudor Crown was used. The command flag of a marshal of the Royal Air Force has a red horizontal band in the centre with a thinner red band on each side of it. The vehicle star plate for a marshal of the Royal Air Force depicts five white stars on an air force blue background, the rank insignia and flag exists in some other air forces for equivalent ranks
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Michael Beetham
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Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Michael James Beetham, GCB, CBE, DFC, AFC, DL was a Second World War bomber pilot and a high-ranking commander in the Royal Air Force from the 1960s to the 1980s. As Chief of the Air Staff during the Falklands War he was involved in the decision to send the Task Force to the South Atlantic, Beetham MC, Beetham was born in London on 17 May 1923. He was educated at St Marylebone Grammar School, as a young man he witnessed the Battle of Britain from the ground which prompted him to join the RAF in May 1941. Promoted to leading aircraftman on 19 June 1942, Beetham was granted a commission as a pilot officer on probation in the RAFVR on 13 December 1942. He was promoted to flying officer in the RAFVR on 13 June 1943, following flying training in the United States under the Arnold Scheme and in Great Britain, he was assigned flying duties with 50 Squadron just prior to the Battle of Berlin. During the Battle, Beetham flew his Lancaster on bombing missions over Berlin 10 times, in a raid over Augsburg he lost an engine and he survived the Nuremberg Raid in which many Bomber Command aircraft were destroyed. In February 1944, whilst Beetham was on a training flight, Beetham and his crew bailed out, landing by parachute near East Kirkby, Beetham then joined the Caterpillar Club. During his time on 50 Squadron, Beetham carried out 30 operations over enemy territory, in May 1944 Beetham was posted to a flying instruction role, Beetham returned to operation duties with 57 Squadron just as the war in Europe was coming to an end. He was involved in dropping supplies to the Dutch and in the repatriation of prisoners-of-war, as an acting flight lieutenant in the RAFVR, Beetham was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on 6 June 1944, and was promoted to flight lieutenant on 13 December 1944. He was granted a permanent commission in the RAF on 1 September 1945 in the rank of flying officer, and was promoted to flight lieutenant on 1 July 1946 with seniority from 13 June 1945. He was posted to No.82 Squadron in East Africa in 1949, promoted to squadron leader on 1 January 1952 and attended the RAF Staff College, Beetham was also awarded a Kings Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air in the 1952 New Year Honours. In 1953, Beetham was posted to the Air Ministrys Operational Requirements Branch, much of his time was taken up with the problems of bringing the V-bombers into service. Notably, Beetham also drafted the first specification for the TSR2, Beethams next appointment was as the Personal Staff Officer to Task Force Commander of Operation Buffalo in 1956. The open-air nuclear test explosions witnessed by Beetham led him to the view that it would never be possible to limit the extent of a nuclear war. Beetham was promoted to wing commander on 1 January 1958 and he took up the post of Officer Commanding No.214 Squadron. In July 1959 Wing Commander Beetham captained the first aircraft, a Valiant bomber and he was awarded the Air Force Cross in the 1960 New Year Honours. After several staff tours, during which time he was promoted to captain on 1 January 1962. At the time of his arrival, Khormaksar was the RAFs largest overseas base and that December saw the start of a major attacks against British forces in Aden and over the next two years Beetham spent considerable time dealing with the security of his overcrowded station
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English Electric Lightning
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The English Electric Lightning is a supersonic fighter aircraft of the Cold War era. It was designed, developed, and manufactured by English Electric and it was then marketed as the BAC Lightning. The Lightning was the only all-British Mach 2 fighter aircraft, the Lightning was used by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Saudi Air Force. Although it was the RAFs primary interceptor for more than two decades it was never required to attack another aircraft, the Lightning is powered by two Rolls-Royce Avon turbojet engines in a unique staggered stacked installation in the fuselage. This performance made the Lightning a fuel-critical aircraft, meaning that its missions are dictated to a degree by its limited range. Later developments provided greater range and speed along with aerial reconnaissance, following retirement in the late 1980s, many of the remaining aircraft became museum exhibits and, until 2010, three Lightnings were kept flying at Thunder City in Cape Town, South Africa. In September 2008, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers conferred on the Lightning its Engineering Heritage Award at a ceremony at BAE Systems site at Warton Aerodrome. The specification for the aircraft followed the cancellation of the Air Ministrys 1942 E. 24/43 supersonic research aircraft specification which had resulted in the Miles M.52 programme. Teddy Petter, formerly chief designer at Westland Aircraft, was an early proponent of Britains need to develop a supersonic fighter aircraft. Petter initiated a proposal with F. W. Freddie Page leading the design. By July 1948 their proposal incorporated the engine configuration and a high-mounted tailplane but was designed for Mach 1.5. As a consequence it had a conventional 40° degree swept wing This proposal was submitted in the November, on 29 March 1949 MoS granted approval for English Electric to start the detailed design, develop wind tunnel models and build a full-size mockup. The design that had developed during 1948 evolved further during 1949, to achieve Mach 2 the wing sweep was increased to 60° with the ailerons moved to the wingtips. In late 1949 low-speed wind tunnel showed that a vortex was generated by the wing which caused a large downwash on the tailplane. Following the resignation of Petter, Page took over as team leader for the P.1. In 1949, the Ministry of Supply had issued Specification F23/49, on 1 April 1950, English Electric received a contract for two flying airframes, as well as one static airframe, designated P.1. The Royal Aircraft Establishment was sceptical of Petters swept wing concepts, to test the design of both the wing, the tailplane and to assess handling, Short Brothers were issued a contract to produce the Short SB5 in mid-1950. This was a research aircraft and was designed so that different wing sweep angles could be assumed by the single aircraft
17.
BAC TSR-2
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The TSR-2 was designed to penetrate a well-defended forward battle area at low altitudes and very high speeds, and then attack high-value targets in the rear with nuclear or conventional weapons. Another intended combat role was to provide high-altitude, high-speed stand-off, side-looking, radar and photographic imagery, some of the most advanced aviation technology of the period was incorporated in order to make it the highest-performing aircraft in the world in its projected missions. Only one airframe flew and test flights and weight rise during design indicated that the aircraft would be unable to meet its original stringent design specifications, the design specifications had been reduced as the results of flight testing. The TSR-2 was the victim of ever-rising costs and inter-service squabbling over Britains future defence needs, the replacements included the Blackburn Buccaneer and McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, both of which had previously been considered and rejected early in the TSR-2 procurement process. Eventually, the smaller swing-wing Panavia Tornado was developed and adopted by a European consortium to fulfil broadly similar requirements to the TSR-2, the introduction of the first practical jet engines in the late-World War II period led to calls for new jet-powered versions of practically every aircraft then flying. Among these was the design of a replacement for the de Havilland Mosquito and this high-speed approach was extremely successful, and a jet-powered version would be even more difficult to intercept. The winning design, the English Electric Canberra, also dispensed with defensive armaments, just as importantly, the designs long, straight wing gave it the lift needed to operate at very high altitudes, placing it above the range where even jet powered fighters were able to operate. This high-speed, high-altitude approach was effective until the late 1950s, sAMs had speed and altitude performance much greater than any contemporary aircraft. The Canberra, and other aircraft like the V bombers or United States B-52 Stratofortress, were extremely vulnerable to these weapons. The first aircraft to fall victim to the Soviet S-75 Dvina SAM was a Taiwanese RB-57, the solution was to fly lower, since radar operates in line-of-sight, detection of an aircraft flying at low altitudes is significantly hindered, thereby reducing time for enemy counter measures. In practice, trees, hills, valleys and any other obstructions reduce this range even more, the Canberra was designed for medium- to high-altitude flight and was not suitable for continuous terrain-hugging flight, this would require a completely different aircraft. Low-level strike aircraft, or interdictors, grew into a new class of their own during the late 1950s, aware of the changing operational environment, the Ministry of Supply started work with English Electric in 1955, attempting to define a new light bomber to replace the Canberra. These early studies eventually settled on an aircraft with a 2,000 nmi ferry range, a crew of two was required, one being the operator of the advanced navigational and attack equipment. The bombload was to be four 1,000 lb bombs, the operational range was to be 1,000 nmi operating off runways of no more than 3,000 ft. The TSR-2 was able to operate at 200 ft above the ground at speeds of Mach 1.1 and this viewpoint was vigorously debated by the aviation industry and within the MOD for years. Senior RAF officers argued against the White Papers premise, stating the importance of mobility, and that the TSR-2 could not only replace the Canberra, in addition to the argument over the need for manned aircraft, additional political machinations had the effect of complicating the project. In September 1957 the Ministry of Supply informed the heads of the companies that the only acceptable proposals would be those issued from teams consisting of more than one company. Another political matter that did not help was the mutual distrust between the various services, at the time that GOR.339 was being defined, the Royal Navy was in the midst of its NA.39 project, which would eventually become the Blackburn Buccaneer
18.
London Transport Museum
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The London Transport Museum, or LT Museum based in Covent Garden, London, seeks to conserve and explain the transport heritage of Britains capital city. The museum operates from two sites within London, the other site, located in Acton, is known as the London Transport Museum Depot and is principally a storage site that is open on regular visitor days throughout the year. London Transport Museum is a charity under English law. The museums main facility is located in a Victorian iron and glass building that had formed part of the Covent Garden vegetable, fruit and flower market. It was designed as a flower market by William Rogers in 1871 and is located between Russell Street, Tavistock Street, Wellington Street and the east side of the former market square. The market moved out in 1971, and the building was occupied by the London Transport Museum in 1980, the collection had been located at Syon Park since 1973 and before that had formed part of the British Transport Museum at Clapham. Enhanced educational facilities were also required, the museum reopened on 22 November 2007. The entrance to the museum is from the Covent Garden Piazza, the museum is within walking distance from both Covent Garden tube station and Charing Cross railway station. The Museum Depot is located in Acton, west London, and was opened in October 1999, the depot holds the majority of the Museums collections which are not on display in the main museum in Covent Garden. It is the base for the curators and conservators, and is used for the display of items too large to be accommodated in the main facility. The depot is not regularly open to the public, but is equipped to receive visitors, with ticket office, shop, a miniature railway. It opens to the public for pre-booked guided tours on several dates each month and it is within easy walking distance of Acton Town tube station. The first parts of the collection were brought together at the beginning of the 20th century by the London General Omnibus Company when it began to preserve buses being retired from service. After the LGOC was taken over by the London Electric Railway, the collection has had a number of homes. Most of the exhibits moved to York on formation of the National Railway Museum in 1975. The first underground train, from 1890, can be seen here. Larger exhibits held at Acton depot include a complete 1938 stock tube train as well as locomotives from the first sub-surface. The museum shop sells a range of reproduction posters, models, gifts and souvenirs
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Cosford railway station
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Cosford railway station is a two platform station on the former Great Western Railways London to Birkenhead via Birmingham line. The station buildings at platform level are a little unusual compared with stations on the line in that they are constructed entirely of timber. Nearby is DCAE Cosford which is home of a branch of the Royal Air Force Museum. The station is served by London Midland, who manage the station, between 2008 and 2011 it was also served by the direct London operator, Wrexham and Shropshire. The line between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton was opened as a route in November 1849. Cosford station was opened later than other stations on the line when the decision was taken to site an RAF base there just before the start of the Second World War. Originally the station was known as Cosford Aerodrome Halt, but due to security concerns. The station was closed to passengers from 29 October 2011 until 30 April 2012, costing £2.1 million, Network Rail replaced the 1937 station buildings, as well as the platforms and the stairs leading up to them. Its re-opening was delayed by 5 weeks, the redevelopment has been criticised for a lack of disabled access. The most recent Cosford signal box stood a little to the west of the station, as well as forming a block post this signal box controlled entrance and exit to up and down refuge loops and the previous rail connection into the adjacent RAF site from the up refuge loop. It has been abolished as a result of the 2006 resignalling scheme with control passing to Madeley Junction, much of the redundant signalling equipment has been distributed to various heritage railways, the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway is believed to have received the majority. This structure is thought to have been the last signal box constructed by the Great Western Railway in Shropshire, much of the contents and structure of this 1939 constructed signalbox has been salvaged for reuse on another heritage railway. The remaining brickwork was demolished in the hours of Sunday 21 October 2007. Remarkably, the signalmans portacabin style privy remains in-situ as of late August 2008, the advent of longer trains destined for Ironbridge Power Station has resulted in much reduced used of the refuge loops as they are too short to accommodate the length of todays coal trains. There is a basic hourly service in each direction, westbound to Shrewsbury. Additional trains call at peak periods, Arriva Trains Wales run a single late night service each way and also provide a two-hourly Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury service each way on Sundays, as no London Midland services run that day. Train times and station information for Cosford railway station from National Rail
20.
Boeing 707
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The Boeing 707 is a mid-sized, long-range, narrow-body, four-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes from 1958 to 1979. Its name is pronounced as seven oh seven. Versions of the aircraft have a capacity from 140 to 219 passengers, developed as Boeings first jet airliner, the 707 is a swept-wing design with podded engines. Although it was not the first jetliner in service, the 707 was the first to be commercially successful, dominating passenger air transport in the 1960s and remaining common through the 1970s, the 707 is generally credited with ushering in the Jet Age. It established Boeing as one of the largest manufacturers of passenger aircraft, the later 720,727,737, and 757 share elements of the 707s fuselage design. The 707 was developed from the Boeing 367-80, a prototype jet first flown in 1954, a larger fuselage cross-section and other modifications resulted in the initial-production 707-120, powered by Pratt & Whitney JT3C turbojet engines, which first flew on December 20,1957. Pan American World Airways began regular 707 service on October 26,1958, later derivatives included the shortened long-range 707-138 and the stretched 707-320, both of which entered service in 1959. A smaller short-range variant, the 720, was introduced in 1960, the 707 has been used on domestic, transcontinental, and transatlantic flights, and for cargo and military applications. A convertible passenger-freighter model, the 707-320C, entered service in 1963, military derivatives include the E-3 Sentry airborne reconnaissance aircraft and the C-137 Stratoliner VIP transports. Boeing produced and delivered 1,011 airliners including the smaller 720 series, ten Boeing 707s were in commercial service in July 2013. During and after World War II, Boeing was known for its military aircraft, the company had produced innovative and important bombers, from the B-17 Flying Fortress and B-29 Superfortress, to the jet-powered B-47 Stratojet and B-52 Stratofortress. The companys civil aviation department lagged far behind Douglas and other competitors, during 1949–1950, Boeing embarked on studies for a new jet transport, realizing that any design must be aimed at both the military and civilian markets. At the time, aerial refueling was becoming a standard technique for military aircraft, with the advent of the Jet Age, a new tanker was required to meet the USAFs fleet of jet-powered bombers, this was where Boeings new design would potentially win military orders. Boeing studied numerous wing and engine layouts for its new transport/tanker, some of which were based on the B-47 and C-97, before settling on 367–80. The Dash 80 took less than two years from launch in 1952 to rollout on May 14,1954, then first flew on July 15,1954. The prototype was an aircraft for both military and civilian use. The United States Air Force was the first customer, using it as the basis for the KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling platform, whether the passenger 707 would be profitable was far from certain. In a demonstration flight over Lake Washington outside Seattle, on August 7,1955, the 132-inch wide fuselage of the Dash 80 was large enough for four-abreast seating like the Stratocruiser
