Have any of you ever though about opening a museum?

[Vegard T]

Hi Vegar,
I've been into militaria for many years but didn't collect seriously until I became an archaeolgist- surveying a medieval field system in a wood led to the discovery of an unrecorded ww2 range- this led to joining RMARG and I haven't looked back since!
Our Museum isn't going to rival the IWM any day soon, but we like to think we have some interesting stuff and are always willing to swap stuff, research things and generally get in the way! We've organised school visits, metal detecting, site visits, airshow and museum tours, monthly talks, and a magazine........ all for £10 a year- can't complain.

The best thing about the group (apart from the mickey taking) is that things now come to us- recent donations range from prototype PIATs, to a ww1 US saddle blanket converted into an officer's bed roll, to a Canberra cockpit canopy. We just turned down an early UK Nuke nosecone- nonproliferation treaty problems!!!!

Doing the Certified Free From Explosives paperwork at the moment....erk!

the Webiste THE RIDGEWAY MILITARY & AVIATION RESEARCH GROUP isn't great (hard to find someone to run it) and leans heavily towards the airforces, but there are a few of us doing the army stuff now.

If anyone would like to visit please PM me to organize it- bieng on an active base, security means that visits are by apointment only (sorry).

Last but not least, a BIG thankyou to the USAF/ MoD, for letting us use their building for free- without this we would not exist.

jim.

Wow, if i lived in Britain i would have visited by now!

[ILH]

Ya, when we find things from for example ww2 we are really preserving history, if we just let it lay there and rust away, it can never be shown!

I totally agree- thankfully the UK Archaeological bigcheeses are finally getting the message that it is valid research.

[Walkwolf]

Easier and safer to have 'virtual' museums today, and in a way,
WRF could be considered one, with it's diverse types of
historical items on display...........

[ILH]

Vegar,
since you can't visit here's a taste (sorry they aren't better, my camera is rubbish).
all the best, Jim.

[GasMasksUK]

NOW THATS A MUSEUM! I don't know if its just me, but theres just something about all of the artifacts being displayed like that without being locked away behind glass that I really like

Thanks

Danny