'When you go home, tell them of us, and say, for your tomorrow we gave our today'.

SYWELL AVIATION MUSEUM ANNUAL BOOK & MODEL APPEAL!

Just a reminder that the Sywell Aviation Museum is planning another of its popular Brass Monkey Book and Model Sales in the New Year - with that in mind we welcome the donation of model kits, paints, accessories, aviation books etc to help raise funds - remember we don't charge an entry fee and rely on donations to survive!

Indeed regular followers of our page will see the difference their donations make - our ongoing restoration of our Jetstream is all funded by you (as well as electricity, insurance, internet...etc! 🙂

If you can help please get in touch by messenger, email to sywellaviationmuseum@gmail.com or on 07968061708.

This painting which we absolutely love is entitled 'The Passion Begins 1948' by Keith Woodcock and is part of the Guild of Aviation Artists' superbonline gallery - for more see here:
www.gava.org.uk/2022-gallery

NICK COMPER’S POCKET ROCKET AT SYWELL

Regular followers will know that the Museum needs no excuse to post a photo of a Comper Swift!

Seen here at Sywell on 6th July 1975 is Comper CLA-7 Swift G-ABTC.

First flown on April 8, 1932 she participated in the 1932 King's Cup Race (flown by George Lowdell, finishing 16th). Many owners came and went and she was one of few Swifts to survive beyond 1945.
Peter Channon attempted to recreate Arthur Butler's 1931 England-Australia 9-day flight (in G-ABRE) in December 1981.

A forced landing in Iran in March 1982 and refusal of permission to enter Pakistan saw the machine return to Dubai from where she was air-freighted home to the UK. Her permit to fly was withdrawn in 1984.

She is now under rebuild to fly again in Derby see:

www.facebook.com/share/g/1AHUXCgiPr/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Photograph courtesy of Gordon Riley.

NEW WARTIME SYWELL SNAPSHOTS

As is to be expected, wartime photographs taken at Sywell Aerodrome are extremely rare so we are very grateful to an anonymous donor for these two images recently received.

All we have to go on is 'George Whittaker sitting down' written on the back of one of them.

What it does show is one of the Ministry of Supply Living Huts (of temporary covered plasterboard construction) positioned on the Aerodrome - note the camouflage - which were used as flight/briefing sheds for 6 Elementary Flying Training School.

The uniforms and strewn about flying kit indicate that the pilots are probably instructors while Mr Whittaker is a civilian probably working for Brooklands Aviation Ltd.

HEIDI’S ‘TWIN’ IN SERVICE

Regular visitors will know that our unique Hawker Hunter F.2 'Heidi' wears two sets of markings. Only 45 of this mark of Hunter were built and they were only operated by 257 & 263 Squadrons.

On her port side she wears her original 257 Squadron markings as WN904 - 'Q' for Queenie. On her starboard, she is marked as WN921 from 263 Squadron.

On 6th March 1956 Flying Officer Dennis Whiteman of 263 Squadron, took off on a routine night-time cross-country flight in Hunter F.2 WN921 and never returned. No wreckage was ever found and she is marked up in his memory.

Huge thanks then to Jason Holloway who has found this superb photo of '921 in service- we are absolutely delighted!

For the full story of Heidi's Split Personality and why we marked her as we did please see our earlier post here:

www.facebook.com/SywellAviationMuseum/posts/1072864671546769?locale=en_GB

JetsTeam Update!

The Museum volunteers have been busily working away on our ex-Cranfield, 1969 Handley Page Jetstream 200 G-RAVL ‘Jenny’ throughout the year and have been determined to get the upper surfaces in primer before we lose the good weather.

This week saw them duck for the finish line and achieve that goal, she is now panelled up and prepped (ready for a shiny new top coat in 2026) before we put her covers on for the winter.

Below you can see the difference 6 months has made- special thanks to Chief Sander and Painter, Museum Member Rob Colbert 🌈 , who together with the rest of the team has really smashed it in 2025🫡

If you think the team deserve it give ‘em a like and a comment below🙂

Yes folks that time of year has come round already!

Sywell Aviation Museum is now closed for 2025 and reopens on Easter Saturday 4th April 2026.

Huge thanks to all our supporters, donors, friends, volunteers and visitors for their help and support this year- we wouldn’t be here without you!

Please do keep following us for Museum news and local history stories and more during our closed period.

See you in 2026!

Best wishes the SAM Team

Well that’s a wrap on our weekend openings! A lovely final Sunday with a group tour from the Lancia Stratos Owners Club and a couple of visiting Stearman (Stearmen? Stearpersons?) including the Aerosuperbatics wing-walking machine. A lot noisier than our usual quietly reserved Tiger Moths! 🙂

Your last chance to visit us this year is on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon this week between 1200-1600hrs 🫡

A TIGER’S GAUNTLET

This splendid photograph, not published before, shows a visiting Gloster Gauntlet fighter at Sywell Aerodrome.

The first pre-production Gauntlet flew in 1933 and after period of development entered production in 1934 with entry into service in May 1935. Some 246 were built and equipped not only the Royal Air Force but also the air arms of Finland, Denmark, South Africa, Rhodesia and Australia .

The squadron markings on this example indicate that she was part of 74 ‘Tiger’ Squadron RAF which equipped with Gauntlets in April 1937 as part of the new Fighter Command.

They were retained until February 1939 when the squadron began to convert to the new Supermarine Spitfire Mk1, just in time for the outbreak of War that September.

That the machine is camouflaged is likely to indicate this photograph was taken during or after the Munich Crisis of September 1938 – note the side panel was either not painted or is a replacement unit.

The Gauntlet actually remained in (second line) RAF service during most of WW2 and in Sudan, F/L Mitchell achieved the only recorded aerial victory in the Gauntlet, when he shot down an Italian Caproni Ca.133 transport aircraft. The type was retired in 1943.

The only remaining Gauntlet (a MkII) is an ex-Finish Air Force example GT-400 and is occasionally flown albeit with an Alvis Leonides radial engine instead of its rare original Bristol Mercury.