WYSIWYG

What You See Is What You Get. This is a journal blog, an explore-blog, a bit of this and that blog. Sharing where the mood takes me. Perhaps it will take you too.

Menoffagainorrhoea; Fields Repurposed P2

If you were able to read the last notice board image in yesterday's post, you will have realised that my title for these posts refers to the appropriation of farmland to build 'pop-up' airfields all over East Anglia during the war... and how those same fields were returned to agriculture afterwards.

During those war years, the skies reverberated with the sound of aeroplane engines - and sometimes with crashes. A great deal of the exhibit material at the Flixton museum was retrieved from remains. Quite often things are still dug up in fields, or offshore, dragged up in fishing nets.

The museum has a variety of buildings; two hangers in which are housed more large planes and parts thereof as well as the 'NAAFI' cafe (causing Aitch to smile, as she was in the catering corp); and several buildings housing specific focus, such as air/sea rescue, the 466th and Bomber Command...



Within these, the range of items was incredible. I'm not going to say too much more myself, today - let the pictures do the talking - but I will observe, as I lay this down, that to my mind this is a large part of what blogging is about; recording the things which may otherwise go unnoticed, biographical, historical, comical, spiritual... whatever the material, blogging is archival by nature and this is very important. Without such as this and places like this museum, what would be known of life a hundred, a thousand, years hence? Archaeologists of the future will have a better time of piecing things together from the 20th and later centuries than those who must deal with a past in which little was recorded in word or image (of a quality that can be deciphered accurately). No matter how small a blog, or a flight log or piece of clothing, it all adds to the fabric of our identity. That's the philosophical bit over. Look on...















































































































































This is what happens to aluminium when in a high-impact 
crash. Grotesquely beautiful...












































































































There are professionally run museums and memorial places which cover such subjects. What captivated me about this place though (as is often so with volunteer-run exhibitions) is the degree of personal contact one feels with the history. Nothing clinical or intellectual here (not that it lacked such) - this was as much about the gut-feel and fond, often tragic, memory. The letter from Mrs Vickers above is a prime example. I was greatly moved by much of what I saw and read. I do hope I can return there and to other close-by air-field museums.

...we leave the museum (mostly) at this point, but the day of the 19th and repurposed fields is not yet over.

See you Sunday for more from Flixton... yes, Sunday.

10 comments:

  1. YaYa Bryan is thoroughly enjoying these post. Thank you for the detailed commentary and for taking the time to share. Sun shades installed Madi slept through all of it....I was a tad bit worried since I had to move her Loos for Nick to get to the one over them. Now off for her annual physical
    Hugs HiC

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    1. Hari OM
      It really is a fabulous place and I really only got to absorb about a third of it! There were 120 images just for this museum alone... but obviously had to pare it right down for the posts or folk would abandon me totally!!! Have aimed more at just trying to pass on the impact the place had on me.

      Will await your news from the physical! Yxx

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  2. I love Roger at the end and would not want to be the man in the float in the photo above Roger... I like the idea you mentioned that all the blogging is creating a fabric . each blog can be found by search engines. so that makes a lot of sense

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  3. Thanks for a very informative post. With your words and all the amazing photos, we almost feel like we were right there with you.

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  4. oooh I would love to see this place... and I always have HRM in my mind when I read about the woman who helped to win the war... they all are heroes too...

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  5. I'm with you, Yam. I love traveling by reading various blog posts. I will never travel to these places, but I enjoy learning about them. Books have it, but it is dry and lack something. I think the best part is the writer's visceral reaction. Happy Friday!

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  6. A very interesting place to visit
    hugs
    Hazel & Mabel

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  7. So much interesting information and history. Enjoyed the newer Netflix/BBC 'Churchill's New Recuits'. Thank you so much for taking time to share your adventures.

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  8. I agree, looking through these pictures, I feel a real personal connection to the history....Mr. Vickers letter, the portraits of the airmen and Roger give us glimpses of the lives behind the war. Thanks so much for sharing!!!

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  9. I visited some museums like this when I was over there a zillion years ago!
    Thinks for the memories and sharing your images
    Love Barb

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