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Projector Searchlight 90CM Mark VI
Aircraft & Exhibits, Circa 1936-Circa 1945, London, Hangar Five, 79/O/554
Searchlights were used to illuminate enemy aircraft at night. They saw little use at the start of the Battle of Britain but became important once night raids started on Britain's towns and cities.
Plotting Block, Friendly Forces
Aircraft & Exhibits, Circa 1940, London, Hangar Five, X002-6607
Plotting blocks and counters were used in Operations Rooms in the Second World War and particularly in the Battle of Britain to track the movements of incoming formations of enemy aircraft.
'Figaro' Emblem of Ian Gleed
Aircraft & Exhibits, Circa 1940, London, Hangar Five, 71/A/222
Flight Lieutenant Ian Gleed flew his Hurricane Mk I throughout the Battle of Britain. He had the wily cartoon cat Figaro, from the Disney film Pinocchio, swatting a swastika, painted on his cockpit door.
Spitfire Fund Brooch
Aircraft & Exhibits, Circa 1940, Cosford, Hangar Two, X006-8819
Lapel brooches like this one, formed from an old penny, were sold to raise money for Fighter Funds. This example was purchased by Mary Avis Taylor, a member of the Woman’s Auxiliary Air Force.
'Figaro' Door
Aircraft & Exhibits, Circa 1940, Cosford, Hangar Two, 71/A/221
Flight Lieutenant Ian Gleed flew his Hurricane Mk I throughout the Battle of Britain. He had the wily cartoon cat Figaro, from the Disney film Pinocchio, swatting a swastika, painted on his cockpit door.
Post Instrument Mark IIC
Aircraft & Exhibits, 1936-1945, Cosford, Hangar Two, 79/I/932
Post Instruments were used in the Second World War by members of the Observer Corps as an aide to assess the height, bearing and location of enemy aircraft.
Fighter Fund Jigsaw
Aircraft & Exhibits, Circa 1941, Cosford, Hangar Two, 1986/0962/C
Many products, including toys, were made and sold to raise money for aircraft during the Second World War. A London-based manufacturer created this jigsaw, which has over 200 pieces, for the Hendon Fighter Four Fund.
Gloster Gladiator Mark I
Aircraft & Exhibits, AUG 1937-MAR 1948, Cosford, Hangar Two, 74/A/17
The Gloster Gladiator was the RAF's last biplane fighter and the first to feature an enclosed cockpit for the pilot. Deliveries began in 1937, with Gladiators continuing to serve in the early years of the Second World War.
Fordson Sussex fitted with a Wild Balloon Winch
Aircraft & Exhibits, 1938-1945, London, Hangar Five, 1995/0886/V
Balloons were an important deterrent to low-level attack, usually sited on the approach to important targets. If an aircraft hit the balloon's cable, it would then be cut by explosive links, which in turn activated two parachutes. These would rapidly slow the aircraft, forcing it to stall and crash.
Plotting Block, Friendly Forces
Aircraft & Exhibits, 1939-1945, Cosford, Hangar Two, X008-4179
Plotting blocks and counters were used in Operations Rooms in the Second World War and particularly in the Battle of Britain to track the movements of incoming formations of enemy aircraft.
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- Battle of Britain, 1940
- France, Invasion of, 1940 [4]
- Blitz, The, 1940-1941 [2]
- Dunkirk, Battle of, 1940 [2]
- Overlord, 1944 June [2]
- Queen Elizabeth II, visit, Abingdon, 1968 [2]
- 50th Anniversary of the RAF Royal Review, Abingdon, 1968 [1]
- Atlantic, Battle of, 1939-1945 [1]
- Dynamo, 1940 [1]
- Winch, 1941 [1]