Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre



The Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre is located to the North of Montrose, Angus, Scotland. Montrose has the distinction of having the first operational military airfield in Great Britain and the Heritage Centre is located on the former airfield. It aims to show the human side of its history with a collection of contemporary photographs, artefacts and memorabilia. These not only tell of the history of the airfield but also the story of the men and women who served there and those who lived in the area. The Air Station Heritage Centre is run by the Ian McIntosh Memorial Trust and is a registered Scottish charitable organisation No. SC023193. It is self-financing, relying on visitors fees and donations together with grants from local government and the Heritage Lottery Fund. The centre receives no regular financial support from local or national government.

History
The airfield was first opened on 1913 when five aircraft of No.2 Squadron Royal Flying Corps arrived. Montrose became the first operational military airfield in Great Britain and first military airfield in Scotland.

The air station closed in 1920 but was reopened in 1935 for use in the second world war. After the war the airfield continued to be used as a maintenance unit until it closed on 4 June 1952.

In 1983 a group of local enthusiast banded together to ensure that the history of Montrose Air Station would not be forgotten. A local man, Ian McIntosh, established the Montrose Air Station Heritage Trust, now known as the Ian McIntosh Memorial Trust and money was raised by the Montrose Aerodrome Museum Society.

In 1992 the trust purchased the Watch Office and ground which became the Montrose Air Station Museum. Over the years the museum has added more buildings to house its increasing collection of artefacts, memorabilia and models aided by donations, local government grants and the Heritage Lottery Fund.

On 19 May 2012 a memorial stone was unveiled at the air station in remembrance of the units and personnel who were stationed there. The memorial was provided by the Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust.

Training Pilots for War
This project was supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund as well as local benefactors. It commenced in June 2010 and involved extending the Romney Building to create room for new facilities. These included a Link Trainer, computer flight simulator and a learning zone with audio and video resources. It was completed in October 2012.

The Spitfire Fund
Similar to the wartime Spitfire Funds this was to raise money to purchase a full size replica Spitfire. Additional funding from Angus Council has enabled the purchase of the Spitfire which now sits at the front of the main building. The Aircraft, made by GB Replicas, stands as a monument to the many people who served there during two World Wars. It is in the colours and markings of the 602 Squadron (City of Glasgow) Red Lichtie Spitfire. The original Red Lichtie was purchased in 1942 by the people of Arbroath, Angus after they started a Spitfire fund and raised £5000. On 26 July 2013 HRH Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex visited the Heritage Centre and unveiled the Spitfire and a commemorative stone.

Future Projects
Roll of Honour. The creation of an 'online' Book of Remembrance for pilots who were killed in accidents whilst flying at Montrose Air Station.

Awards
Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre is a member of Museums Galleries Scotland and fully accredited Museum.


 * In 2009 The Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre was highly commended in the Cultural Ambassador category of the Angus Ambassador Awards.
 * In 2011 it won the Cultural Ambassador category  and was highly commended in the Community Ambassador category.
 * In 2012 the Heritage Centre was highly commended in the Tourism Ambassador category.

Aircraft on display

 * Supermarine Spitfire MkVb full size replica LO-D (EP121) No.602 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron RAF
 * de Havilland Sea Vampire T.22 (XA 109)
 * Gloster Meteor T.7 (WF825) from No.603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron RAF
 * Sopwith Camel replica representing B5577

Engines on display

 * Rolls-Royce Merlin aero engine
 * Rolls-Royce Derwent jet engine
 * Rolls-Royce Spey jet engine
 * Rolls-Royce Olympus jet engine
 * De Havilland Gipsy Queen  aero engine
 * Bristol Hercules radial engine – No 210016 series 264
 * Bristol Hercules radial engine – No 210391 series 264

Other items

 * Link Trainer
 * Bofors 40 mm L40/70 Anti Aircraft gun
 * 1941 Hillman RAF Staff car
 * Robertson Cross

MT Hut
The MT (Mechanised Transport) Hut can be seen in some of the oldest pictures of the air station and dates back to around 1915. After the closure of the air station in 1952 the hut fell into a state of disrepair. In 2009 volunteers started restoring the hut and it was formally reopened on 5 May 2012. The building is a category:C(S) Listed Building Historic Scotland Building ID: 38231

HQ Building
Built in 1915 this was the former headquarters building of the air station and now holds several exhibitions. The building is a category:C(S) Listed Building Historic Scotland Building ID: 38229

Formerly the Commanding Officers office, there is a display on the theme of the Home Front during WWII
 * Exhibition Room 1:

Is used for temporary displays.
 * Exhibition Room 2:

The largest display room tells the story of Montrose Air Station from its foundation in 1913 to its closure in 1952 and the people who served there. A new acquisition for 2013 is a large Diorama showing the layout of the airfield in 1940.
 * Exhibition Room 3:

A pilots bedroom in 1940.
 * Exhibition Room 4:

Wartime Pillbox and Anderson Shelter
The pillbox dates from 1949 and was an important part of the defences at Montrose. The Anderson shelter was designed in 1938 by William Paterson and Oscar Carl (Karl) Kerrison in response to a request from the Home Office. It was named after Sir John Anderson, then Lord Privy Seal with special responsibility for preparing air-raid precautions immediately prior to the outbreak of World War II, and it was he who then initiated the development of the shelter. It was widely used by the civilian population during WWII

The Richard Moss Memorial Collection
Formerly the Kirriemuir Aviation Museum, this building displays Richard Moss’s collection of RAF memorabilia.

Jack Drummond Workshop and Store
This is named after LAC Jack Drummond who was posted to Montrose in 1937. The Nissen hut is used for restoration projects and houses working machinery. For safety reasons it is not open to the public.

John Betty Library and Research Centre
Named after Squadron Leader John Betty, former Chief Flying Instructor at RAF Montrose, the library houses the largest private collection of aviation books in Scotland and the Heritage Centre’s archives. It is accessible to visitors by arrangement and will eventually provide computer access to archives in the future for family history research.

David Butler Building
This building, a Romney Hut funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, was named after David Butler who is a founder member of the Heritage Centre. It houses the Vampire jet, Sopwith Camel and link trainer together with a display of aircraft engines. There is also a Pilot Training Display including a computer flight simulator and a Learning Zone for visits from local schools.

Historic Airfield buildings nearby
To the immediate south of the Heritage Centre stand three aircraft hangars which are believed to be the oldest known example of their type in the world. The hangars were built at the end of 1913 and first used in early 1914 to house No. 2 Squadron when they moved to the airfield from Upper Dysart. Their design was based on Indian Army Sheds modified by Major Burke to house aircraft and were pre-fabricated in Glasgow before being transported to Montrose. The buildings were constructed of wood with corrugated iron roofs and each one had two gabled openings. The hangars were built in a curve following the path of railway line which used to be at the rear of the buildings.

The hangar farthest away from the heritage centre retains its original cladding. The building is a category:A Listed Building Historic Scotland Building ID: 38228

The other two hangars have had a steel cladding added in 1987-8 and are category:B Listed Buildings  Historic Scotland Building ID: 38227