The Bottisham Airfield Museum Grand Opening Weekend

The Bottisham Airfield Museum Grand Opening Weekend

Join in the celebrations of the official opening of The Bottisham Airfield Museums new Nissen Hut. There will be Military Vehicles on display, War re-enactors, Sidestalls, Refreshments etc. and it is hoped that there will be a small scale air display.

The Bottisham Airfield was originally laid as a grass airfield in 1940 and was used by the Tiger Moths of Number 22 Elementary Flying Training School as a relief landing ground to help out RAF Waterbeach. Then from July 1941 for the next two years it was used by a number of RAF Army Co-operation squadrons with a number of different aircraft
among them Tiger Moths. Mustangs and Tomahawks. Three months later in October the grass runways were made stronger with Army Track surfaces but they lacked enough strength and the following year were taken up and replaced by steel mesh summerfield.

During the following year, 1943, it was announced that the base was to be improved and made larger, this was to be because it was to be the home of the United States 8th Army Air Force. But after only a stay of about three months they moved on to Little Walden in Essex and Bottisham was closed down. Then in June 1945 it was opened up again and was used as a relief landing ground by the Belgian Initial Training School while they trained at RAF Snailwell. It was used as such until March 9th of the following year 1946 when they left to return home to Belgium.

Two months later on May 1st the airfield was closed only this time for good. The land was sold twelve years later on October 1st 1958 and used for agricultur, and thus it remained until it was decided that the pages of time should be turned back.

The museum was opened in 2009 but it took a further five years before the whole airfield could be purchased and
the buildings restored a number of which still are today. The first building to be opened is the Nissen Hut which stands close to where the original did all those years ago and which is the reason for your visit today.

Dates: Saturday September 24th 2016 & Sunday September 25th 2016

Time: Please see below for full details.

Destination: 3 miles outside of Cambridge, exit the A14 on Junction 35 signposted for Bottisham and Stow Cum Quy. Follow the 1303 towards Bottisham and Newmarket, take the second right turn onto Wilberham Road and the museum is 100 yards on the right hand side.

Website: www.bottishamairfieldmuseum.org.uk