Showing 51 to 60 of 87 search results

Blenheim Mark I Recognition Model

Aircraft & Exhibits, Cosford, Hangar Two, 65/M/196

This is a British-made model of a Second World War Blenheim Mk I light bomber used to train RAF personnel, particularly pilots, gunners and members of the Observer Corps, in the vital skill of aircraft recognition.

Model of an aircraft in camouflage with a blue and red roundel on each wing, © RAF Museum

Fighter Fund Card of Honour

Archives, Cosford, Hangar Two, A1191

Fighter Funds were set up in 1940 with £5,000 needed to purchase a fighter aircraft, which was then named after an individual, business, town or city. They enabled ordinary people to contribute to the war effort and brought communities and Allied counties together.

Card with seven stamps, a printed description of the 'Card of Honour' and a handwritten inscription by the owner, © RAF Museum

Lifejacket Artwork

Aircraft & Exhibits, Cosford, Hangar Two, 1986/0964/C

This artwork was preserved after the RAF lifejacket it was on was disposed of at a council refuse dump. It echoes the artwork often painted on aircraft to personalise them.

Running black cartoon cat, dressed as a pirate but with a tin helmet and wielding a sword, © RAF Museum

Observer Corps Lapel Badge

Aircraft & Exhibits, Cosford, Hangar Two, 78/U/622

The Observer Corps, later Royal Observer Corps, was a civil defence organisation formed to detect, identify, track and report aircraft in the skies over the UK.

Round metal badge with an engraved scene of an observer searching the skies, encircled by a motto in a blue border, © RAF Museum

Medal Bar of Wing Commander Eric James Brindley Nicolson

Aircraft & Exhibits, Cosford, Hangar Two, 83/D/1062

As a pilot during the Battle of Britain in 1940, Nicolson was awarded RAF Fighter Command’s only Victoria Cross.

Seven medals on individual ribbons with different stripe patterns in multiple colours, RAF Museum

Distinguished Flying Medal of Sergeant Joseph Dygryn

Aircraft & Exhibits, Cosford, Hangar Two, 80/D/1864

Joseph Dygryn was a successful night fighter pilot awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal in 1941 after he shot down a number of German aircraft on bombing missions over London.

Silver oval medal engraved with the profile of King George VI, on a blue and white striped ribbon, © RAF Museum

Message Dropping Streamer

Aircraft & Exhibits, Cosford, Hangar Two, 74/R/970

Before radio communication became available in military aviation, messages from aircraft to troops on the ground would be handwritten and dropped in a message bag.

Ribbon folded into a Z shape with each section a different colour, red, yellow and blue, © RAF Museum

Aircraft Marshalling Wand

Aircraft & Exhibits, Cosford, Hangar Two, 81/R/793

Aircraft can be awkward to manouevre safely when on the ground. Aircraft marshalling is a way for ground crew to assist in ground manouevres by visually communicating with the pilot using a series of standardised hand signals. Illuminated wands such as the one displayed here are used in conditions of poor visibility.

Mini light sabre, © RAF Museum

British Aerospace Experimental Aircraft Programme

Aircraft & Exhibits, Cosford, Hangar Two, X005-5992

The British Aerospace Experimental Aircraft Programme (EAP) was an advanced technology demonstrator. Originally a tri-national undertaking, British Aerospace, with help from Italian and German suppliers, completed the project independently after the German and Italian Governments withdrew.

Cranked delta wing jet aircraft, © RAF Museum/Iain Duncan / RAF Museum

No. 307 Squadron Badge

Aircraft & Exhibits, Cosford, Hangar Two, 76/U/1380

After the German invasion of Poland in September 1939, many Polish airmen escaped to Britain. From 1940, Polish squadrons began to be formed within the RAF, playing an active role in the Battle of Britain.

Silver badge of a crescent and an owl above an aircraft, with the number '307' at the bottom, © RAF Museum