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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.

Large light in green metal casing, on a green metal base with four continuous tracks, and a handle, © RAF Museum

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.

Wooden block with white and blue counters on inset shelves, with pole extending vertically from top, surmounted by yellow plate with the numbers 253 in black text, © RAF Museum / RAF Museum

'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.

Parallelogram-shaped green panel with a hand-painted black and white cat standing on hind legs turned to face a swastika, © RAF Museum

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.

Six-wheeled dark grey metal vehicle with wire cage behind the driver's cab, © RAF Museum

Air Raid Protection First Aid Box

Aircraft & Exhibits, 1939-1945, London, Hangar Five, 1995/0385/S

During the Second World War Air Raid Protection (ARP) Wardens kept first aid boxes at their posts to provide immediate medical assistance following an enemy attack. These boxes contained supplies such as bandages and dressings and a first aid handbook.

Black metal box with a red stripe and white 'A R P' hand-painted on the front under two clasps; a handle on each side, © RAF Museum

Plotting Block, Hostile Raid

Aircraft & Exhibits, 1939-1945, London, Hangar Five, X002-6552

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.

Wooden triangular prism-shaped block displaying numbers over two rows: ‘809’ on yellow cards and ‘30+’ on blue cards, © RAF Museum

The Enigma Machine

Aircraft & Exhibits, 1940-1945, London, Hangar Five, 82/R/503

Engima was the trade name for the cypher machine used by the Germans to code their communications, the codes of which changed daily. British listening stations intercepted messages which were then passed to cryptographers at the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park to decode.

Metal machine with individual keys for each letter and interconnecting wires, inside a wooden box, © RAF Museum

Hazard Warning Flag

Aircraft & Exhibits, Circa 1945, London, Hangar Five, X002-7592

Warning flags were used to mark the locations of unexploded bombs and other possible hazards.

Red rectangular flag on a wooden stick, © RAF Museum

Heinkel He 111

Aircraft & Exhibits, 1944-1947, London, Hangar Five, 78/A/1033

The Heinkel He 111, a German twin-engined medium bomber, was used extensively in the late 1930s and early years of the Second World War. Like many Luftwaffe military aircraft, its development was concealed by claiming it was for high-speed commercial transport.

Side view of an aircraft with a camouflaged upper and a turquoise underside; a cross and swastika painted on the fuselage and, © RAF Museum

Messerschmitt Bf 110 Recognition Model

Aircraft & Exhibits, London, Hangar Five, 75/M/245

This is a German-made model of a Second World War Bf 110 used to train aircrew, particularly pilots and gunners, in the vital skill of aircraft recognition. It was made by Wiking, a model company still in existence.

Model of an aircraft in khaki green with plastic roundels as the propellers, © RAF Museum