Collection: Bentwaters Cold War Museum

Collection-level records:

• Collection history (Collection development policy)

  The Bentwaters Cold War Museum (BCWM) opened it doors to the public for the first time in May 2007. This was the culmination of a project that began some six years previous.

  The original idea was for a room in the control tower to be set aside for memorabilia and photos but this idea was subsequently changed to something that was on a much larger scale. The new plan saw the former hardened Wing Command Post as the base for the museum, a building that itself, has a very interesting history. The Command Post was the nerve centre of the Bentwaters and Woodbridge ‘Twin-Base’ complex during exercises (and in the event of war). In April 1986 the Command Post was manned for Operation El Dorado Canyon (the United States Air Force raids on Colonel Gadaffi’s headquarters in Libya). The building’s last operational milestone was during the first Gulf War in 1991, which saw it manned for the duration of the conflict in support of the A-10 Thunderbolt aircraft that were deployed to theatre.

  Operated and administered by volunteers from Bentwaters Aviation Society (a registered charity), the BCWM portrays the history of RAF Bentwaters and RAF Woodbridge from the Second World War through to when the USAF withdrew from both bases in 1993. The most important period of operation of the ‘Twin-Bases’ was during the Cold War and, as the museum’s name suggests, this is the main focus of the exhibits. Two key rooms in the Command Post have been restored to an operational appearance. These rooms are the Battle Cabin and the War Operations Room. Although unmanned during normal day-to-day operations, they would have been the two most important rooms during exercise and wartime. Additional rooms have been turned into ‘themed’ exhibitions. These cover the history of Bentwaters and Woodbridge in general, Special Operations units at Woodbridge, the ‘Aggressor’ unit at Bentwaters and a miscellaneous exhibition room which includes a Cold War timeline. The museum also includes a multimedia room where visitors can expect to see video presentations and film shows.

  The acquisition of a small number of airframes was considered important to promote the future growth of the museum. The Museum acquired a Gloster Meteor D.16, WH453, as its first Cold War aircraft type back in 2005. WH453 is currently undergoing the long process of being converted back to its original F.8 configuration and will be re-painted in the markings of 72 Sqn, RAF. The Meteor was the first jet-powered aircraft to be based at Bentwaters.

  Subsequent airframe acquisitions include SEPECAT Jaguar GR.1A XX741 (the only ground-running and taxiable example left in the World), Hawker Hunter GA.11 XE707, English Electric Lightning F.53 ZF581, BAe Harrier GR.3 ZD667 and McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR.2 XV401. The Lightning was gifted to the Museum by BAe Systems at Rochester, Kent who, having visited several aviation museums in the East of England, decided that Bentwaters Cold War Museum was the most suitable home for what is undoubtedly, the most iconic Cold War aircraft type in history.

  The undoubted highlight for the museum has been acceptance onto the National Museum of the USAF’s loan programme. This has allowed us to ‘bring home’ two former Bentwaters-based aircraft types…namely a Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star and a Fairchild A-10A Thunderbolt. The latter is a particularly significant addition to the collection as it was actually based at Bentwaters during the Cold War and is one of only two A-10s on public display in Europe.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2024

  Licence: CC BY-NC

• Collection overview (Collection development policy)

  The Museum’s Collection includes aircraft and associated artefacts, uniforms, medals and decorations, printed material, film, photographs and fine art, and archives maintained in accordance with the Code of Practice on Archives for Museums in the United Kingdom 3rd Edition 2002.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2024

  Licence: CC BY-NC