That the heroic role of women during the Second World War should be commemorated in a new exhibition at the Biggin Hill Memorial Museum seems particularly appropriate. Most famous for its role as one of the key fighter stations during the Battle of Britain, RAF Biggin Hill also saw the award of three Military Medals to WAAFs who were stationed there during the battle. Elizabeth 'Joan' Mortimer, Elspeth Henderson and Helen Turner were all recognised for their brave actions for staying at their posts during the Luftwaffe attack on the airfield on 30 August 1940 which killed 39 people.
However, the new exhibition is as much about the unsung female heroes of wartime as it is about those who were formally recognised for their bravery.
Constructed around the old St George's Chapel (originally the station church and a memorial to those who lost their lives flying from the airfield) the museum opened in 2015 and focusses on the human experience of war and of life during wartime at and around what is arguably the most famous fighter station in the world. With its immersive and interactive displays, that story is told through a remarkable collection of exhibits and artefacts tracing the station's fascinating story through war and peace. Now, that story has been enhanced by the new exhibition Women & War: Hidden Heroes of World War II.
One of the special features of the exhibition is a focus on the astonishing work and bravery of the female pilots of the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA), with 168 of these remarkable women delivering fighters, bombers and training aircraft to airfields up and down the country during the Second World War. One of these female pilots was the late Jackie Moggridge, and now her smart ATA uniform and flying logbooks (which record no less than 1,438 delivery flights of 89 different aircraft types) are central to the Biggin Hill exhibition.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Issue 111-Ausgabe von History of War.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Issue 111-Ausgabe von History of War.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
THE ANGELS OF BASTOGNE
In the middle of Germany’s final major offensive, a young nurse risked her life to help treat wounded American soldiers
REICH TO REPUBLIC
INTERVIEW WITH FRANK TRENTMANN From defeat and division to democracy, the historian examines Germany's struggle with post-war guilt, memory and reconciliation
THE SPARTACIST UPRISING
The fledgling democratic republic of Germany was forced to immediately fight for its existence against communist insurgents bent on its destruction
WHAT IF...MEXICO DEFEATED THE UNITED STATES?
Could Mexico have claimed vast swathes of territory, including the potentially gold-rich California, in a huge blow to US expansion?
THE MARCH ACTION
The final rising of the radical left during the Weimar period was followed by the sharp decline of communist influence in Germany
BALTIMORE
In the War of 1812, the Royal Navy launched an assault on the economic hub of Maryland, prompting an inspired American defence against the old enemy
THE RUHR UPRISING
After the Kapp-Lüttwitz Putsch, radical left-wing workers united in a violent bid to establish a Soviet-style government
THOMAS J HUDNER
This US Navy aviator fought a desperate battle against time, flames and the brutal North Korean winter in an attempt to rescue his trapped wingman
GHOSTS OF DYNAMO
Armed with the British Admiralty's battle summary, firsthand accounts and a 2023 seabed survey, it's now possible explore a number of Operation Dynamo wrecks to understand what was lost at Dunkirk
1944-45 BATTLE FOR EUROPE SNIPERS
These elite sharpshooters led the Allied advance in Normandy and eventually beyond the frontier of the Third Reich
