MANSTON MIRROR

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August 2013 Issue No: 2

MMIRRORIRROR Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar Special Report & Pictures

To contact: RAF MANSTON SPITFIRE & HURRICANE MEMORIAL TRUST THE MUSEUM THE AIRFIELD MANSTON ROAD RAMSGATE KENT CT12 5DF Telephone: 01843 821940 Email: spitfire752@ btconnect.com VISIT: Spitfiremuseum.org.uk Registered charity Number: 298229 REGISTERED MUSEUM NUMBER: 1991

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MMANSTONANSTON MMIRRORIRROR

Tributes pour in for Manston Spitfire pilot ‘Dick’ Edwards

See pages 6, 7 & 11

INSIDE YOUR

SPOTLIGHT

RAF Manston Spitfire & Hurricane Memorial Museum

MAGAZINE

PROUD MOMENT: Kent International Airport chief executive Charles Buchanan pictured with the new British Airways Airbus A380 on the tarmac for the first time ever at Manston this summer.

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Exclusive: Meet the cartoon ace who helped win the war pages 8 - 11

Airbus A380 belonging to British Airways. The Airbus seats up to 490 passengers over two decks with four cabins. The A380 produces one quarter of the noise level of the Boeing 747-400 when landing and ten per cent fewer NOx emissions come from its four Rolls Royce jet engines. The Airbus is 16 per cent more fuel efficient than its predecessor too. KIA boss Mr Buchanan and his crew were delighted to attract such a ‘flag waver’ to the airport which highlights a serious bid for Manston to become number one choice for airlines, passengers and cargo, when London’s Heathrow and Gatwick are too busy. “We were delighted the BA management recognized the benefits of locating the glorious A380 at Manston for a few weeks. “It was wonderful too for the Museum visitors to catch sight of her next door! Continued on page 2

Air base chief salutes special connection with our Museum

AN airport boss who made history by introducing British Airways to Manston described a bond with our RAF Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial Museum as ‘very solid’ and part of exciting new plans for the future. Kent International Airport chief executive Charles Buchanan said he greatly valued the heritage of the airfield and it was ‘marvellous’ to accommodate such a significant venue as the Museum. “The relationship is a strong and important one and built on very sturdy and reputable foundations which go back years. The Museum adds character to the airport and brings visitors to Manston from far and wide,” he said. Last month thousands of Museum enthusiasts also had an opportunity to watch the historic arrival of the stunning new

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EVENTS DIARY

RAF SPITFIRE & HURRICANE MEMORIAL MUSEUM - www.spitfiremuseum.org.uk 2

The RAF Spitfire & Hurricane Memorial Museum at Manston is open every day (except Xmas) from 10am to 5pm. There is free coach parking and a cafeteria.

EASTBOURNE AIR SHOW

August 15—18

BIGGIN HILL CHARITY CONCERT - August 17

HEADCORN AERODROME COMBINED OPS 2013 August 17 & 18

MILITARY ODYSSEY KENT SHOWGROUND DETLING - August 24 & 25

SHOREHAM AIR SHOW WEST SUSSEX—August 31

COME LISTEN TO THE BAND OF THE MERCIAN REGIMENT RAF SPITFIRE & HURRICANE MUSEUM MANSTON KENT - August 28 at 7pm

CONTENTS History in the making …………………………..pages 2 & 3 ATS sergeant ‘thanks’………..4 Museum Collections Ace…….5 Our Spitfire pilot - Special Tribute……………..6 & 7 The cartoon world of Philip Zec…………. 8, 9, 10, 11 Veterans’ Day ………..12 & 13 A chairman’s life……..14 & 15 Crossword………………………..16

Continued from front page “Our airport is within easy reach of London enabling the BA crews to travel here easily to the Airbus and neatly fly out to France too. That is history in the making for Manston!” he enthused. The Airbus’ arrival on July 15 coincided with a visit to Manston by the RAF’s famous Red Arrows who flew over the Channel with the new jet as a practice run before their appearance at The Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford. At Westminster politicians are hotly debating how to ease congestion at the main airports in and around the capital with plans to build new runways, and even a new airport in north Kent on the table. But KIA chief Mr Buchanan believes the way forward is for Manston to become a ‘reliever airport’. He said: “In reality no new runways will be delivered within ten or fifteen years, if not longer. “Politicians work in the binary seeing the problem and solution being either this or that. I believe air traffic congestion could be solved for cargo and passenger airlines if the patchwork of local airports was put to use and the overspill soaked up all around. “Just like a glass under a running tap the amount of aircraft using Heathrow and Gatwick is like the water about to reach the brim. We need to act now!

“Manston has a magnificent runway and lots of space. We can accommodate up to 40 aircraft movements per day. At the moment I am looking at this figure per week.” KIA at Manston is currently owned by the New Zealand based company, Infratil. Mr Buchanan added: “The team at Manston is very proud to be playing a part in bringing the Airbus aircraft into service for British Airways”. As the Airbus left Manston on July 29, it was replaced by British Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner. A Museum spokesman said: “We are delighted British Airways chose KIA as a base for their new aircraft.

HISTORY BOYS: KIA’s Charles Buchanan with our dedicated Museum Trustee Sid Farmer and the Airbus A380 at Manston.

JUST DREAMY!

ANOTHER BRITISH AIRWAYS MARVEL AT MANSTON: As the Airbus flew off to work at the end of last month she was replaced at Manston by the dynamic new Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (above). During her stay at Manston the Dreamliner crew were in training at our airport. The Dreamliner can accommodate 214 passengers in three classes. It was designed as a quieter and more fuel efficient aircraft than the commercial jets it is intended to replace.

“We enjoyed meeting the many visitors the aircraft attracted to Manston who got a chance to see our heritage at the Museum, and then 21st century history in the making over on the tarmac! “KIA has long been a supporter of the Museum and we relish the opportunity to celebrate the bond as Manston welcomes such aviation stunners to the airport. It is also splendid to see KLM flying in and out of Manston. We welcome visits to Museum by BA and KLM crews anytime.”

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Got a Story? Email MANSTON MIRROR Editor at [email protected] 3


MANSTON began life as farmland during World War One and was used by the Royal Flying Corps as a training base for pilots learning to fly Handley Page Type O Bombers. During the 1939-1945 conflict the RAF designated it an emergency landing base for Bombers. During the Battle of Britain in 1940 RAF Manston was attacked many times by the enemy Luftwaffe. The Cold War of the 1950s involved the United States Air Force using Manston as a Strategic Air Command base for its fighter and bomber aircraft. In 1960 when the US Air Force withdrew from Manston it became a joint civilian and RAF airport with commercial airlines including Invicta Airways flying to and from top holiday destinations. In 1968 it was used as a location in the famous Battle of Britain film. Today’s popular RAF Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial Museum volunteer and former wartime Lancaster pilot, GERRY ABRAHAMS, worked for Invicta and in the 1960s was one of Manston’s most well known captains. In 1989 Manston became known as Kent International Airport. The RAF withdrew completely in 1999. The Manston airport site covers a whopping 700 acres. It is owned by Infratil. In 2012 the company announced it wished to sell KIA. Today Manston is home to premier aviation businesses including the important Summit Aviation which specialises in jet engine overhaul and technology; Heli-Charter; and more recently KLM Dutch Airline and British Airways. MF

‘We are delighted to be based at Manston for

the next few weeks. We’ve been made very welcome by

everyone at the airport’ - Captain David Thomas, British Airways’ head of

flight technical and training. •

Did you know..?

TOP TEAM: KIA boss Charles Buchanan inside the A380 cockpit with British Airways Captain David Thomas, right.

THE WAY WE WERE.. HERE’S a treat readers! Do you recognise the handsome pilot in the centre of the above picture? Yes! It’s the Museum’s own ace volunteer Gerry Abrahams during his career with Invicta Airlines in the 1960s. (If I didn’t know it was Gerry I couldn’t be blamed for noting a resemblance to Captain Nemo! - Just joking, Gerry - Ed) Also in this exclusive and rare picture are Gerry’s Italian crew member, Pepe Gentile and Invicta air stewardess, Flick Hibbs. A big thanks to Gerry for his permission to publish this cracking picture of happy days piloting civilian passenger jets. During the war Gerry was a Bomber Command pilot and wireless operator. This month with a grant from the Heroes Return Lottery Fund he is re-visiting war time haunts, Berlin and Dresden. In our September issue Gerry will reveal all about his trip.

Twice daily flights to Amsterdam where you can enjoy seamless connections to more than 130 destinations across the world.


THE RAF SPITFIRE & HURRICANE MEMORIAL MUSEUM 4

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Bomber Command pilot presents ATS girl with retirement gifts A VOLUNTEER who served as a sergeant in the Womens’ Royal Army Corps during World War Two was in for a surprise when she arrived at the Museum. Eileen Powles, 92, was welcomed by Trustee Sid Farmer, his wife Ruth, and her colleague the former Lancaster pilot Gerry Abrahams, to be presented with a certificate of thanks and a radiant bunch of flowers. The special presentation was also attended by Hurricane pilot veteran, Nev Croucher. Trustee Sid explained Eileen had been a devoted volunteer for six years and it was important she was officially thanked for all of her hard work as a host and her endeavours in the Museum shop. He said: “We wanted Eileen to know we are grateful for her part in the Museum’s success. When she decided to hang up her Museum hat the Trustees organised our official ‘thank you Eileen’ event.” Eileen who grew up in Broadstairs joined the ATS (Auxiliary Territorial Service) in 1942 after being relieved from her duties at the Ramsgate

Food Office. “I was very cross when I found out my boss at the time had put me down as ‘reserved occupation’. I was so desperate to join up and do my part,” recalled Eileen. As a new ATS recruit Eileen wanted to be a driver but fate had another job lined up for the adventurous young Bradstonian. She signed up without telling her parents for ‘special duties’ and after training at Guildford she got a plum posting in Knightsbridge. “Of course as soon as people saw my uniform I got tickets to any West End show I fancied,” she giggled. In April 1943 she boarded a three tonner lorry and headed for Liverpool to catch a liner bound for West Africa. “Us girls were kept separate from the lads most of the time. The knobs in charge were very particular about that!” she recalls. When she arrived in Durban Eileen was put up in a hotel and then was moved along the Suez Canal to a British Army base in Cairo. Working as a switchboard

operator she remembers the climate was so hot they could only cope from 8am to 1pm. The rest of the day was spent in a swimming pool. In 1945 she signed on for another four years and went to Bad Oeynhausen in Germany. The ATS became the Womens’ Royal Army Corps (WRAC) in 1949. Eileen had been promoted to sergeant by the time she joined civilian life again in England. She married John Powles in 1951 and later worked for the Ministry of Defence at Manston until 1985. A keen golfer and Justice of the Peace, Eileen also became a familiar face at our Museum. She said: “I enjoyed very much

working with Gerry every Friday afternoon. The Museum is a wonderful place.”

PALS: Volunteer stars Eileen Powles and Gerry Abrahams.

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CLASSIC COLLECTION: ‘The Spitfire Museum has always been a big part of my life’ says exhibitions boss THE man in charge of our Museum’s amazing collection of exhibits has an incredible memory. Tony Sturgess rightfully knows the origin and history of each one of the items on display and that’s not including those which are in need of a space to call their own. The number of items in the collection so far runs into the thousands reckons Tony and he’s keen to point out each one has been donated to the Museum. “It really is a privilege to do this job,” he explains. “We have been lucky to receive some rare and important items from the war and we do our best to care for them.” Exhibits include a tiny pistol given to pilots to keep in their sock in case they couldn’t escape a burning aircraft and wanted a painless way out, the joystick of a German aircraft, an Iron Cross, Fleet Air Arm overalls, weaponry and much, much more. “I like it all and have no actual favourites,” he says and then mentions the rare sight of the George Medals awarded to two firemen who fought tirelessly to bring the flames under control at Manston after the Luftwaffe had attacked the RAF during the Battle of Britain. It is Tony too who created the display in honour of the eighteen brave Channel Dash heroes of the Fleet Air Arm 825 Squadron who flew six flimsy Swordfish aircraft carrying torpedoes from Manston 71 years ago in a bid to stop German battleships scurrying back to home ports. Tony, 57, describes their action as a ‘suicide mission’ and says visitors can see the whole story on show at the Museum. He also recommends the unique record of the day in 1982 when Luftwaffe fighter ace Adolf Galland arrived to sit in the Manston Spitfire! Galland had worked with Battle of Britain pilot Bob Stanford-Tuck on the famous 1969 film, Battle of Britain. . “They became friends and because Stanford-Tuck was a friend of the Museum he thought Galland might relish the chance to sit in our Spit!” A photograph of this momentous event is on show today, along with personal items belonging to Kent born Stanford-Tuck.

Tony’s own history with the Museum goes back to his childhood. As a Manston boy he can remember the days of the 1960s when our Spitfire TB752 stood proudly as the RAF’s gate guardian. “The airfield and the Museum has always been a big part of my life. Also as a boy I remember watching the film crew shooting sequences for the Battle of Britain film. They had come to Manston and one Saturday evening I saw them fly over. “There was a Messerschmitt and a Hurricane. It was truly incredible and then I saw them land over on the north side of the runway. “I have always loved aircraft. The sight, sound and purpose of them. I don’t really have a favourite but in the 1980s I felt the hairs on the back of my neck go up when a Spitfire and a Hurricane flew over me quite low during a flypast. That was amazing. I felt part of them,” he adds. The young Tony also saw a white painted Vulcan fly over Manston during the Cuban missile crisis in the 1960s, and if he is to confess to a number one top war bird then he says the sight and sound of an F15 American jet stirs the soul. “Of course I believe it is important as Collections Officer to organise the items and create up to date displays and start improvements. I want to expand our ‘German corner’ of the Museum. We must remember without the Nazis we’d have no Spitfires or Hurricanes. “It is imperative we look after our artefacts and ensure they are at the right temperature and cleaned with the correct Museum standard materials,” he says enthusiastically. A few years ago and after a career working with a company specialising in the manufacture of surgical instruments Tony decided he wanted a change. He was invited by Trustee Sid Farmer to help organise and maintain the grounds at the Museum. Within a couple of years Tony was offered a role as Collections Officer. He explains: “I want visitors to know the main value of the collection is its historic worth.

WWW.SPITFIREMUSEUM.ORG.UK 5

RARE: Tony shows the picture of Galland in the Manston Spitfire.

BOLD & BEAUTIFUL: Stained glass image; a George Medal.

FIGHTER ACES: Bob Stanford-Tuck, left, and Adolf Galland.

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“It meant a lot for me to help secure accreditation for the Museum in 2010. This means we have officially got good records of our collection and a decent database meaning we store and care for them correctly. “It’s all about making a good experience for the visitors and we are always interested in their feedback. I do also get to create a theme at the Museum which is changed every so often.” Tony then confides news of a TOP SECRET EXHIBIT which he says is under close wraps until

next month’s edition of the MANSTON MIRROR MAGAZINE so watch this space! Other work includes raising funds for storage space, being part of the team planning a new education suite, sourcing new display cabinets and improving the lighting. He says: “I also owe thanks to great volunteers Natalie Duwel-Bou Orm and Christopher Oliphant, and Trustee Barrie Smith who help keep the Collection alive.”

MORE CLASSIC COLLECTION NEWS IN NEXT MONTH’S MIRROR.

PILOTS KNOWN TO HAVE FLOWN THE MANSTON SPITFIRE Pilot Officer Richard J Edwards; Pilot Officer Dennis Hugo; Flt Lt George Roberts; Flying Officer Martin Silver; (RAF 66 Squadron)

Flt Sgt Robert E Barbour; Pilot Officer David Leslie; Flt Lt James D Lindsay; Flt Lt R A Morrison; Flt Lt C Leslie Rispler; Flying Officer

Aurel Roy; Pilot Officer Robert C Shannon; Flying Officer Arthur Van Sainsbury; Flying Officer Marvin Silver (also 66 Squadron)

Flying Officer Frederick Town; Flying Officer Robert Young; Squadron Leader Henry P M Zary (No 43 RCAF Wolf Squadron)

Dennis Antrobus; Arthur R Leary;

Brian Mason; Danny Smith; and Robert W Stubbs (Post War)


RAF SPITFIRE & HURRICANE MEMORIAL MUSEUM - VISIT US TODAY 6

joined his new squadron it was based at Abbeville, and was then moved onto Grimbergen in Belgium. As Mr Deal revealed: “Dick took part in Bomber escort duties, and fighter sweeps and by the end of 1944 he had accumulated 250 hours flying Spitfires.” Paying tribute to ‘Dick’ this month, Mr Deal, told your MANSTON MIRROR how his friend wasn’t a ‘gung ho type’ and didn’t perceive himself as a ‘killer’ although other fighter pilots indicated their prime motivation had been to ‘kill’ the enemy. “What was always obvious about Dick was his quiet, unassuming manner. He was very methodical, very careful and thought about things very thoroughly. Once you got to know him he was happy to talk about his memories. “In many ways I believe it was his steady, dedicated and quiet personality that got him through the war.” In September 1944 the Squadron landed at Manston owing to bad weather and ‘Dick’ recalls how the driver of a vehicle guiding in the taxiing Spitfires went so slowly that all of the aircraft overheated. The airfield was strewn with ragingly hot Spitfires! By October of 1944 the busy squadron was based near Brussels and then two months later Christmas was spent in Woensdrecht, the Netherlands. It was December that saw the Spitfire Mk XVI introduced to 66 Squadron and pilots were ordered to carry out dive bombing raids on the enemy bases. ‘Dick’ recalled how Spitfires loaded with 1000lbs of bombs ‘landed like a brick’ and on occasion bombs fell off the aircraft during landing and bounced dangerously alongside. There is also record of 66 Squadron landing at Manston on March 16, 1945, with, as ‘Dick’ describes ‘a certain TB752 amongst us’. On March 19 he was the first recorded pilot to fly her in active service. Within two weeks though the ‘quiet man’ of 66 Squadron Continued on page 7

66 SQUADRON ACE: Richard Joseph Edwards in 1944. Pilot Officer Edwards died last month aged 91 at home in South Africa.

OUT OF all the known pilots who flew Manston’s famous Spitfire during World War Two Richard ‘Dick’ Joseph Edwards is remembered as ‘a quiet yet determined man’ among those who knew him best. Hailed also as a methodical, thoughtful, even philosophical character, ‘Dick’ aged 91 died last month at his home in South Africa. ’Dick’ was the last remaining pilot of Manston’s Spitfire MXVI and yet his memory will live on forever at the RAF Spitfire & Hurricane Museum which is dedicating a special memorial in his honour. As a close friend of Lewis Deal MBE of Medway Aircraft Preservation Society which brought the famous TB752 back to life in the 1980s, ‘Dick’ was always keen to hear about ‘his’ Spitfire, and talk about his fondness for Manston. As a member of the stoic RAF 66 Squadron, the story of Pilot Officer Richard Edwards’ war is as steady and dutiful as it is dramatic towards the end. He began his flying training on Tiger Moths in August 1942, and was then posted to RAF Cranwell to fly the Miles Master aircraft. ‘Dick’ told author and Medway Aircraft Preservation Society chief, Mr Deal who also wrote ‘The Manston Spitfire’ book, how he was then posted to 61 Operational Training Unit to get into the cockpit of his first Spitfire. This was a Mk II. The date was May 1943. The young pilot was then given Hurricanes to fly and while at Mountford Bridge in Shropshire took part in more essential training exercises. The following year as the war reached a critical stage ‘Dick’ was posted to 66 Squadron which had already operated successfully from the south east of England. In 1940 it was based at RAF Kenley in Surrey, and then Gravesend and West Malling in Kent. In November 1943 66 Squadron was flying Spitfire Mk IXs and became part of the Second Tactical Air Force providing air cover for the invasion forces in Normandy, France. When Pilot Officer Edwards

……………………………………………………...SAD FAREWELL TO ‘DICK’ EDWARDS: THE LAST SURVIVING PILOT OF MANSTON SPITFIRE TB752


MEDWAY AIRCRAFT PRESERVATION SOCIETY LTD

Continued from page 6 was mysteriously shot down in Risjen, in the Netherlands and as Mr Deal reveals ‘Dick never found out where the deadly shot came from’. Records reveal he was flying Spitfire Mk XVI - TB714 at the time he crash landed. ‘Dick’ was taken prisoner-of-war on April 1, 1945.On the same day his pal Pilot Officer Dennis Hugo was killed in action. On April 11 the same fate awaited Pilot Officer Jock Brysdon. Along with ’Dick’ they had been the longest serving members of the heroic 66 Squadron. Mr Deal said: “I remember Dick telling me he never ever had a clue where the attack on his Spitfire came from. “He remembered flying along then suddenly there was a bang and he was going down and faced with a crash landing.” That day was the last time Edwards ever flew a Spitfire. After the war he was released from the POW camp and made his way back home to see his sister in Liverpool. By 1950 he had moved to South Africa working for the

BOMB-CARRIER: A clipped wing Spitfire Mk XVI similar to Manston’s TB752 as flown by Pilot Officer ‘Dick’ Edwards. The clipped wing allegedly helped the Spitfire roll quicker and achieve a slightly faster speed although ‘Dick’ was uneasy about the so called ‘modifications’.

Royal Insurance Company, married Nan, and had a son Colin and daughter Heather. ‘Dick’ was tracked down by Lewis Deal in the 1980s. Mr Deal told your MIRROR: “Dick was the hardest to find of all the pilots who flew TB752. It was his sister who told me he was in Howick, South Africa. He was delighted to hear from me and was always so pleased to hear how MAPS had restored TB752 and he loved hearing about the Museum at Manston too.” In The Manston Spitfire book ‘Dick’ famously talks about the ‘sinister’ clipping of the Spitfire wing, and how a ‘slipper’ tank under the aircraft gave it a terrible wobble. ‘The pilot needed arms like a gorilla to control it,’ he quipped. Mr Deal added: “I will never forget Dick. He was a close friend and I will forever miss our conversations.”

Next month we will feature a rare article written by ‘Dick’ in 1995 about the day he returned to the place he was shot down! Melody Foreman

MUSEUM ‘FOLK’: Dick, second left front row in striped jersey with Museum friends in 2007 including Jeremy de Rose, Rosa Sear, Peter Verdemato, Eileen Powles, and Tony Sturgess. See page 11 for Trustee Sid Farmer’s tribute to the man he describes as a ‘great friend’.

WWW.SPITFIREMUSEUM.ORG.UK 7

OLD FRIENDS:Dick meets up again with TB752 in 2007. RECEPTION: Mayor of Ramsgate Sid Farmer in 1995 with Dick on his left and TB752 pilots and families.

A Boulton Paul Defiant recently restored by MAPS now on display at the RAF Museum at Hendon

Patron: HRH The Duchess of Cornwall AFIS Unit, Rochester Airport, Maidstone

Road, Chatham, Kent, ME5 9SD

Our workshop is open to visitors on Monday,

Wednesday and Sunday 9am - 12.30pm. We also have a Visitor Centre and Shop.

Tel: 01634 204492 www.mapsl.co.uk

Medway Aircraft Preservation Society Ltd is proud to support the RAF Spitfire &

Hurricane Museum at Manston

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WELCOME TO THE WARTIME WORLD OF OUR GREAT CARTOONIST

ON display at our Museum we are lucky to enjoy a handful of legendary political cartoons created by the artist PHILIP ZEC - one of the most influential men of World War Two. Today on the thirtieth anniversary of his death, Melody Foreman talks to his nephew - the history don, author and Museum volunteer, Paul Zec, about the man who once incurred the wrath of Hitler and Churchill at the same time. We also discover how the truths revealed in Zec’s art contributed to the final victory.

THERE’S a classic old saying which goes: ‘It’s a funny old world but I wouldn’t want to paint it!’ Isn’t it remarkable then to pay tribute to the man who did just that! The very man who sat at his drawing board every day (except Sunday) throughout World War Two facing a two hour deadline to create the most dynamic political cartoons for the best selling tabloid, The Daily Mirror. Yes pause for breath about that awesome achievement dear reader as I welcome you to the world of Philip Zec - an artist whose biting and satirical images exerted as much influence over the British public as Churchill did with his rousing rhetoric, and diehard resolve for victory. For millions of readers the ‘Zec’ cartoon was the staple-diet of morale boosting. Bold, vibrant, and comical the Zec creations never aimed to preach hatred against the enemy, they were more sophisticated than that – they mocked with simple brilliance. They had to put it bluntly a powerful effect. Zec’s work contributed to a vast increase in circulation of a recently re-launched and punchy hard hitting Daily Mirror. He shared an office in London with his long term friend and colleague William Connor (pictured right) of the famous Cassandra column. Both exchanged pertinent ideas on the political climate of the war, and writer Connor was equally adept at the wry one-line captions often seen beneath Zec’s cartoons. What was also uncanny was Zec’s gift for prophecy. More often than not and just days before a seismic event of the war the Daily Mirror would print a Zec classic prediction.

One example of the genius cartoonist at work shows an exasperated Hitler manically throwing sheets of paper into the air which he has torn from a calendar. The Fuehrer desperately attempts to guess the date on which D-Day will fall. A sheet of paper with 6th of June is seen floating above the rest. The cartoon was printed before D-Day! “My Uncle Phil was a lovely man, and very modest too. You could also say he was opinionated but never arrogant,” explains his nephew, the academic and author, Paul Zec. “He never drew to inspire hatred against the enemy, he wanted to poke fun at tyrants. “He knew too that if he drew brutal aggressors like Hitler, Goering and Von Ribbentrop with the features of animals it took them down to that level proving an effective way of deriding them.” This is evident in the great hairy ape like hands of German soldiers with their heavy brows, scowling eyes, and bully-boy footsteps. Hitler is often portrayed serpent-like or as a mangy spider wearing ludicrously large jackboots on his spindly hairy legs. Who could take this tyrant seriously when lampooned by Zec so bitingly well? As a child Paul lived with his parents (the famous journalist Donald Zec and his wife, Frances) in the same block of flats in north west London as artist Phil and his wife, Betty. “I was like the son he’d never had,” recalls Paul as we sat talking on a sunny afternoon at the Museum. “It was like having two fathers really. Uncle Phil often spent time with me Continued on page 9

THE ARTIST AT WORK: Philip Zec prepares another cartoon for The Daily Mirror in April 1944.

All pictures and cartoons courtesy of Donald Zec and The Political Cartoon Society.

1940 Daily Mirror


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Got a Story? Email MANSTON MIRROR Editor at [email protected] 9

Continued from page 8 and was a lot of fun. I have wonderful memories of playing cricket with him on Primrose Hill in London. “In my teens I remember sitting on the floor in Uncle Phil and Aunty Betty’s flat reading a copy of a book containing some of his best known cartoons. It was down to him that I became politically conscious. Many years later when I became a history teacher he introduced me to the great AJP Taylor. I was in heaven. In my teens I was occasionally lucky enough to be at his home at the same time as senior politicians such as Michael Foot. Phil was liked and respected by so many people who appreciated his lively commentary and ultimate contribution to the war effort,” explains Paul. However the young Philip Zec aged 30 in 1939 was already politically motivated to fight Fascism and wanted to join the RAF. As a Jew and the son of a Jewish tailor (Simon Zec) with Russian ancestry, Zec was incensed by the Nazi persecution of his race, and of the torture they inflicted upon anyone who dared defy Hitler and his thugs. Passed as A1 fit and on the brink of collecting his uniform, Zec was ordered by the government to remain at his desk as political cartoonist with the Daily Mirror. He was so talented and astute he was deemed more useful to the war effort at the newspaper. Cartooning, it seemed if successful, had become a reserved occupation. Did Zec mind having his RAF ambitions cut short like this? “If he did he never really spoke about it,” replies Paul. “It is fair to say the right decision was made at the time. His cartoons were influential as morale boosters and the coalition government of the time knew that. “The Daily Mirror was read by millions of hard working British people, and my uncle’s work was seen by every one of them.” This popularity was inspired by Zec’s daily dose of humour which warmed the heart of the nation; however the government took a different view. Paul tells the story: “There was just one particular cartoon which was mis-interpreted by a certain few in the government including Churchill and they threatened to close down the newspaper.”

LUFTWAFFE CHIEF HERMANN GOERING: A masterpiece by Philip Zec which appeared in The Daily Mirror on July 5, 1940, shortly before the Battle of Britain.

Now one of the best known political cartoons in history, it features a drowning merchant seaman clinging to a piece of wood on a dark choppy sea. The caption reads: ‘The price of petrol has been increased by one penny’. The Daily Mirror was accused by the then Home Secretary Herbert Morrison and Prime Minister Winston Churchill of undermining, and was likened by Morrison to ‘Goebbels at his best’. However, the message Zec had actually aimed to get over was a damning attack on black market profiteers and for people to think twice before they used petrol driven vehicles. This did get through to the population and many readers wrote to the newspaper explaining how they would never waste another half pint of petrol every again. But Churchill saw the cartoon as a protest on the government’s handling of the war at sea, and went along with plans to close the Mirror (despite the fact he’d found it a useful ally in his earlier bid to take over at Number Ten!) “There was a point when the Daily Mirror was on the Gestapo hit list and Churchill’s too! Just imagine that! I have seen the Gestapo Black Book; Phil isn’t named in it. “Uncle Phil was supported by the Daily Mirror management at the time though and the whole affair turned out to be a violent storm in a teacup. The British government had been ludicrously oversensitive and had embarrassed itself. There’s even suggestion that they had my uncle investigated by MI5! “The cartoon did of course lead to a debate about the freedom of the press,” recalls Paul, “and years later Herbert Morrison blithely apologized to my uncle for damning his work in Parliament during the war. My uncle Phil had challenged Morrison for the apology when they met at a Labour Party campaign event. My uncle had designed a lot of the posters for the Party in a bid to help them win the election,” says Paul. Continued on page 10

‘VIOLENT STORM IN A TEACUP’: On March 6, 1942 the original Zec caption read ‘The price of petrol has been increased by one penny!’ In 2004 cartoonist Dave Brown at The Independent added his own caption as seen above, as a commentary on the Tsunami.

CLASSIC ZEC: The famous ‘Don’t Lose it Again!’ cartoon of May 1945. DARWINIAN: Zec’s apes of 1945 ‘Crikey have we got to start all over again!’

WARTIME HOME SECRETARY: Herbert Morrison took issue with The Daily Mirror in 1942 and then some years later apologised to Zec.

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RAF SPITFIRE AND HURRICANE MEMORIAL MUSEUM 10

Continued from page 9 Other famous Zec cartoons included the battered and bruised solider standing in an abyss of wartime destruction holding a laurel wreath with the label ‘Victory and Peace in Europe’. The caption wryly explained: ‘Here you are! Don’t lose it again!’ This striking image ran on the front page of the Daily Mirror at the end of the war (May 8, 1945) and is now on display in larger-than-life form at the Imperial War Museum in London. For the rest of 1945 Zec continued to wow the readership with his work and continued to use animal features as an inspiration. Where did this idea originally come from? Paul replies: “My uncle lived near to London Zoo and was a Fellow of the Zoological Society. He loved to visit the place and watch how the animals behaved. This fascination stayed with him throughout his life and obviously influenced his work.” Zec remained as political cartoonist with the Daily Mirror until 1948. However, he was beginning to feel lost without the big political guns to lampoon. As Donald Zec writes in his excellent biography of Philip, ‘All the major villains were gone;

Roosevelt was dead, Churchill no longer centre stage. Newcomers like Atlee and President Truman were colourless in comparison’. Phil became a director of the Daily Mirror but wasn’t really happy with boardroom life, often describing it as a bear pit! He was then given the Editor’s chair at the Sunday Pictorial (now the Sunday Mirror); then he was approached to go back to the drawing board again as political cartoonist of The Daily Herald (later to become The Sun). By 1961 he had grown tired of Labour Party squabbles and the Herald being held to ransom by the Trades Union Congress (TUC). It was the editor Hugh Cudlipp who described the reason for Zec’s departure: ‘There is nothing more unpalatable than a politician’s bread-and-butter speech on an inauspicious occasion on a wet afternoon. The Herald, because of its strong link with the TUC, felt it was obliged to publish this verbiage with a zeal which ushered away the readers in dazed droves. It was obliged to appraise and advocate Labour policy in an entirely uncritical manner; a deadly dull mission.’ Zec soon jumped the sinking ship and

landed at the forward thinking Jewish Chronicle which appreciated his ‘humanist approach to politics’ as is reported in Donald Zec’s book, Don’t Lose it Again!. The mild man of cartooning was then editorial director of the Jewish Chronicle for 25 years, and also helped to launch, design and edit the New Europe Magazine. Paul says: “Unfortunately my uncle spent the last three years of his life blind but he kept up with all current affairs, and continued to talk about the work of his idol, the New Zealand born cartoonist David Low (1891 – 1963). “He often said his work was rubbish compared to the cartoons of Low! He was really too modest at times, you see,” recalls Paul. Are there any original Zec drawings in existence today? “Probably half a dozen if that,” he replies. “There are some reproductions in the University of Kent political cartoon archive, plus some correspondence between my uncle and his friend, William Connor who wrote the Cassandra column. “There are also a few at the Political Cartoon Society gallery in London. He worked so fast Continued on page 11

‘All the major villains were gone; Roosevelt was dead, Churchill no longer centre stage. Newcomers like Atlee and President Truman were colourless in comparison’ - Philip’s brother, Donald Zec - the famous journalist and author of ‘Don’t Lose it Again!’

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News, views and so much more in your MMANSTON ANSTON MMIRROR IRROR every month 11

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MANSTON MOMENTS Your Letters

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Continued from page 10 you see and working to tight deadlines every day meant he screwed them up at the end of the day and into the bin they went! That was the day to day experience of most journalists. Crack out the story or the cartoon and then get on with the next! A daily newspaper never sleeps!” Philip Zec died in Middlesex Hospital on July 14, 1983, aged 74. He is buried in a Jewish cemetery. Paul concludes: “Of course I still miss his humour and grace. One of my favourite memories is as a child when the family were enjoying a slap up tea at a holiday hotel in Hampshire. There was one slice of cake left and my uncle Phil picked it up, squeezed it and asked if anyone would like it! As if we’d want it when he’d mauled it about! I always remember this witty intelligent man. His humour was splendidly and unforgettably anarchic!” Today it is worth wondering indeed just how the British nation would have got through World War Two without it! *Copies of the beautifully produced book ‘Don’t Lose it Again!: The Life and Wartime cartoons of Philip Zec’ by Donald Zec are available for £20 from the Political Cartoon Society. Contact: 07973 622371 or email [email protected]

MUSEUM VOLUNTEER: Paul Zec.

I FIRST met Dick Edwards with seven other pilots who had flown TB752, the Manston Spitfire, during WWII. At the time I was in my second year of office as Mayor of Ramsgate and had the pleasure of putting on a reception for them all, writes Sid Farmer. Dick had the distinction of being the first pilot ever to take TB752 into action on a bombing raid over the railway goods yards of Rotterdam, on the 19 March 1945. After the war Dick settled with his wife Nan in South Africa, working in insurance; he said he missed Nan so much when she died. Dick leaves a son Colin, farming in Zimbabwe and a daughter Heather in South Africa. Following the mayoral reception of 1995, Dick made several visits to the Spitfire Museum to renew his acquaintanceship with his old aircraft. Most memorable of these was his visit in September 2007, when he said a final farewell to TB752, the Spitfire Museum and those of us, “the Museum folk”, who had the pleasure of getting to know him throughout the years. The Museum has celebrated the anniversary of that first flight into active service, every five years. Each time the Museum would receive an anniversary card from Dick. As time passed he became weaker and resorted to making a phone call once a year. The last being January 2013 when he told me he wasn’t sure how much longer he could remain living in his bungalow. On July 8 I heard from Mike Dewar a friend of Dick’s in South Africa. Dick had moved into the frail care unit of Green-dale House, a part of the com-plex in which he had lived in his bungalow, on his own, for a number of years. He died there peacefully in his sleep on Friday 12 July. He might forgive me now for telling one of his best kept

Memories of ‘Dick’ Edwards who flew Manston Spitfire

secrets. Soon after his last visit Dick told me, over the phone, that he had felt some sensation in the toes of his paralysed left foot. I was sworn to secrecy, he thought no one would believe him, or that he was mad. It was after all more than sixty years since his aircraft was shot down, he was wounded, taken prisoner and left for the rest of his life with a paralysed leg. On his last visit Dick spoke to year six of Minster CE Primary School. When asked by one pupil, “Are you proud of fighting for your country?” In his simple modest way Dick said, “No! We just did what had to be done anyone would have done the same”. I could go on writing about Dick, a modest, quietly spoken man who did not suffer fools gladly, but to whom the folk of Manston Museum and TB752 meant so much. Museum volunteers will lay a wreath in the Allied Air Forces Memorial Garden in Dick’s honour. A tree will also be planted in memory of a good friend, Pilot Officer Dick Edwards, in the Museum grounds.

RIP: Pilot Officer ‘Dick’ Edwards. TOP: The Manston Spitfire today. BELOW: Museum trustee, Sid Farmer.

‘A tree will be planted in

memory of our good friend,

Dick Edwards’

Your MMANSTONANSTON MMIRRORIRROR is online at www.spitfiremuseum.org.uk 12

WARTIME AIR CREWS RETURN TO ‘THE BUMP’ FOR VICTORIOUS VETERANS’ DAY


AVIATIOR: Squadron Leader Tony Lisutkin, DFC, aged 93, in the cockpit of his beloved Spitfire again. RIGHT: Tony is Czechoslovakia’s most decorated pilot from World War Two. WORDS AND PICTURES: Melody Foreman

GIRL POWER: Spitfire owner and pilot Carolyn Grace, centre, with ATA aviators, Joy Lofthouse, 90, left and Mary Ellis, 94.

QUESTION? ‘Did you ever fly a Corsair, Mary?’ asks

charming Fleet Air Arm pilot Keith Quilter.

‘Yes,’ she replies, it was

a beautiful aircraft’

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M MANSTONANSTON MMIRRORIRROR Continued from page 12

PALS: Dakota pilot, Ron Dearman, 90 chats to vintage war birds aviator, Clive Denney.

CATCH UP TIME: Museum Trustee Sid Farmer chats to Heritage Hangar and vintage aircraft owner and pilot, Peter Monk.

ATA GIRLS: Mary and Joy in uniform during World War Two.

DON’T FORGET THE HARVARD: Mary and

Joy meet an old friend.

FAMOUS FOUR: Joy Lofthouse, Keith Quilter, Mary Ellis and Peter George.

IN blazing sunshine the famous deep red painted Heritage Hangar resounded with hearty chatter about Spitfires and Hurricanes, Lancaster Bombers, Corsairs, and Dakotas, and of course the stoic Harvards… “And don’t forget the Wellington Bomber, and the Mosquito….” whispers Air Transport Auxiliary ferry pilot, Mary (Wilkins) Ellis, 94, who is one of a dozen wartime air crew invited to the summer Veterans’ Day at Biggin Hill. Having flown 76 types of aircraft during World War Two, and delivered 400 Spitfires of every mark to RAF bases throughout the UK, Mary is in demand with the media. She isn’t alone. The event hosted by the owner of the ‘Spirit of Kent’ Spitfire Mk IXe TA805, Peter Monk, was attended by aviation heroes of the 1939-1945 conflict including Battle of Britain pilot, Flt Lt Rodney Scrase, DFC; Czech pilot Squadron Leader Tony Liskutin, 93, DFC; Warrant Officer and Spitfire ace, Maurice Macey, 90; and Lancaster pilot of 207 Squadron Sid Beaver. Long term friends of our RAF Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial Museum including Fleet Air Arm pilot Keith Quilter, 91, and Dakota pilot Ron Dearman, 90, were joined at the Biggin Hill special reunion too by ATA girl Joy Lofthouse, 90, and

News, views and so much more in your MMANSTON ANSTON MMIRROR IRROR every month 13

wartime mechanic Jane Britten. Also chatting heartily to veterans was one hundred year old Ivy Houseago, a lifelong Spitfire fan and enjoying tea and cake and a catch up on old times was veteran Peter George too. Then when the sound of the Merlin engine of the Spirit of Kent Spitfire snapped into glorious life just yards from the cheery party all eyes turned to watch her taxi away and make ready for a flypast. And as if one spectacular Spitfire wasn’t enough to thrill, the crowds were delighted to welcome pilot Richard Grace who landed the marvellous two seater Spit ML407. Veterans Tony and Maurice were then offered a chance to take to the skies once again thanks to the owners of this marvellous aircraft, Carolyn Grace and son Richard. Museum Trustee Sid Farmer, Manager Peter Verdemato, and volunteer Jim Brookes attended the Veterans’ Day and described it as a ‘wonderful occasion’. Sid said: “We congratulate Peter Monk and his crew at Biggin Hill for a great day. “We embrace our link with the Heritage Hanger and are hugely grateful for Peter’s support for Museum events with flypasts by the Spirit of Kent Spitfire.” On August 17 a charity concert - A Musical Salute to The Few is at Biggin Hill. Just like the Veterans’ Day it will be an event to cherish. MF

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after World War Two. He recalls how his school had to add three more classrooms to accommodate 150 new children. “As far as I can remember I was always crazy about transport. It started with bus spotting when I was a boy. Then I remember as a 13 year old hitchhiking around the UK searching for trains. I was so keen,” he says. Now his eyes brighten as he recalls his first sight of the famous Evening Star 92220 locomotive. So just what is it about this old steam classic? I ask. Is it the engineering, the design? I plead with Jeremy to let me in on the fascination that has gripped his life. “No it’s not the way it’s made it is all about saying you had seen it live and you had the number in your book. I just love the Evening Star!” he confesses. His passion for transport led him into a career with the railways although for a few years after school in the 1960s he worked as a com-puter programmer on he recalls with a chuckle ‘a machine the size of a small shed’ which carried a memory which can today be fitted into a small watch! After a brief spell with the Post Office he discovered British Rail was looking for staff. In 1973 he became a guard at Redhill Station in Surrey.

It wasn’t long before he was promoted to ticket inspector on the Tonbridge and Redhill line. Within six years Jeremy sped further along the career track and he took exams to qualify as a member of the Chartered Institute of Transport. This opened doors for him and he moved through the grades at British Rail to reach management and consultancy level. By 1984 he was head of ticket inspectors at Southern Region and responsible for 72 staff. “I was invited to become part of a major taskforce maintaining and improving Standards and in 1988 I got the post of Revenue Protection Manager for Network South East,” he recalls. He speaks with pride about how he created the penalty fares system which is still in operation today. “It was a case of some-thing had to be done because I didn’t feel the police took fare dodging seriously enough,” he adds. During his career he visited the Houses of Parliament to discuss transport issues and after privatisation of the railways he became London liaison manager for the British Railways Board. There was also a spell working with London Underground. In 1997 Jeremy reached the station of entrepreneurialism and formed a company in partnership with his former boss, Richard Malins. Transport Investigations was born and the duo now act as transport revenue protection agents checking out ticket systems and effective operations. A life in trains and planes has also led Jeremy to branch out and buy two hotels in the Czech Republic. Both are named after his mother ‘The Marion Hotels’ - one is based in the north of Bohemia, the other is in the South. Out of the blue Jeremy asks me what I know about psychotherapy. He says he has a great interest in the human mind and the law! I guess this random question is inspired by his interest in Irvin Yalom (see Faves box, left) and a fascination with the type of person who feels they can jump on a train without paying the fare. (Ok Jeremy you’ve got me banged to rights as I confess I was once caught in Amsterdam without paying the correct fare for my tram journey). He smiles at this and we move on to discuss the Museum and his role as chairman. “I am glad to step down. I will now have more time and energy to spend working as a Trustee,” he admits. Continued on page 15

‘I was arrested by US military for checking out their aircraft!’ reveals former Museum chairman


JEREMY’S FAVES BOOK? A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute FILM? E.T COMPOSER? Wagner LOCATION? Leipzig WHO INSPIRES YOU? Irvin Yalom AIRCRAFT? Phantom LOCO? Evening Star HOBBY? Aviation DRINK? Gadds’ IPA FOOD? Italian FASHION? Timberland

ABOVE: Existential psychiatrist Irvin Yalom. STEAM CLASSIC: The Evening Star.

ASK Jeremy de Rose to tell you all about the Phantom F4 aircraft and he will talk fluently for hours if you let him. Mention too the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter and he’ll rattle out an impressive list of facts and figures that expose Wikipedia as a shallow lightweight on the cyber information runway. Such is his enthusiasm as a serial plane spotter it’s difficult to maintain his attention during our interview near the Manston airport tarmac. “Did you see that?” he asks as a Cargolux B747 takes off nearby. But Jeremy didn’t really need to see the aircraft he’d heard it and knew exactly what was flying nearby anyway. The former chairman of the RAF Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial Museum also sat up when a jet roared overhead too and for a moment he was distracted as he remarked it was a ‘fighter aircraft with a capital F’. There’s no doubt then. This man knows his Typhoons from his Tornadoes and yet the path to such critically detailed intelligence wasn’t always smooth. “I got arrested by the American military once,” he confessed his eyes still fixed on the runway. “Well it was way back in the 1970s. I was wandering about this hangar the US Air Force had in England and I was looking for a certain type of helicopter. “Suddenly these soldiers appeared and I was taken off for questioning. They weren’t too pleased with me I can tell you.” The eager young plane spotter was let off with a caution in those days unlike the twelve Brits who were charged with espionage by the Greek police in 2002. It seems even the most innocent hobby can be mis-interpreted even ridiculed. Geeky? Anorak even? Does this bother Jeremy? He shakes his head and is proud to be a ‘spotter’. “It all began in my boyhood,” he admits placing his elbows on the table. Now I’ve got his attention and I hear how the ‘spotting craze’ started during the war. A chap named Ian Allan made it popular and created little books for boys to fill in with the numbers of trains. “It became a huge hobby,” says Jeremy. “The platforms in England thronged with young people looking at the trains as if they were film stars! If you were lucky you could get a ride in the cab too!” Jeremy, 67, was brought up in Surrey. He proudly reveals he was what was known then as a ‘bulge baby’ - one of the many children born

MMANSTONANSTON MMIRRORIRROR Picture by Melody Foreman

AFTER NINE YEARS AS TOP GUN AT OUR MUSEUM JEREMY DE ROSE IS COMING INTO LAND. TODAY HE TALKS EXCLUSIVELY ABOUT LIFE IN THE HOT SEAT AND A LIVELY CAREER IN TRANSPORT

KH Z

As chairman he says he brought in a system to streamline the work of the highly valued volunteers. “It is wonderful to know people are here because they want to volunteer,” he says. “I am proud to have been chairman when Peter (Verdemato) came on board as manager, and it’s been good to be part of the Museum Accreditation process which means the Museum has the official standards and can

“Of course in September the anniversary of the Battle of Britain is always remembered,” he says. Until 2011 the Museum organised its own air show. Perhaps this is something Jeremy can get off the ground again? He reckons anything is possible and then concludes: “I am happy the future is bright. It is great to see so much going on.” Jeremy de Rose was talking to Melody Foreman

‘I have a link with Battle of Britain pilot Rodney Scrase DFC in that his

cousin Aubrey was my Latin teacher!’’ - Jeremy de Rose

continue to develop and improve.” Jeremy recalls the day as chairman a few years ago when he met some of the Canadian pilots who flew the famous Manston Spitfire Mk XIV TB752, and there was a visit to the Museum by the then US Air Attache. “We also have important memorial events each year in honour of our Manston heroes and the Channel Dash memorial in February.

ACTION MAN: Jeremy de Rose

and the Manston Spitfire.

Got a Story? Email the Editor at [email protected] 15

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cuisine, fine wines and ales. Our garden is great for families and we can provide marquees for those

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Tel: 01843 823208 www.jollyfarmermanston.co.uk

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Continued from page 14


M MANSTONANSTON MMIRRORIRROR

Down 2 POW castle (7) 3 Encryption machine (by Elgar?) (6) 5 RAF Fighter Command HQ (7,6) 6 His poem alerted the French Resistance to D-Day (8) 7 Early RDF system (5,4) 10 Creator of the Chindits (4,7) 12 Admiral Canaris was its head (6) 15 Hugh Dowding’s nickname (6) 16 Busted German dam (4)

Answers will appear in next month’s MANSTON MIRROR MAGAZINE

DON’T MISS IT!

The RAF Spitfire & Hurricane Memorial Museum GIFT SHOP

is open every day

……………………………………………………..CROSSWORD Compiled by Dr Julian Brock Across 1 Ball-Bearing factory bombed by US Air Force (11) 4 Luftwaffe’s 13th August 1940 - glade rat (anag) (5,3) 8 US Atom bomb project (9) 9 The Battle of the tennis court was fought here (6) 11 Leigh-Mallory’s fighter tactic (3,4) 13 Dummy paratrooper (6) 14 Busted German dam - Prose (anag) (5) 15 French village with parachute hanging from church tower (6,4,6) 17 RAF Airfield - rent game (anag) (8) 18 He made a home run from 2 down, d. 1979 (5,5)

“Come Listen to the Band” of the Mercian Regiment

With musicians of the band of the

Prince of Wales Regiment Under the direction of Warrant Officer, Band Master, Ivor Evans BA (Mus) LRSM

7pm. Wednesday 28 August Collection in aid of Museum funds

Fly Past by Kent Spitfire By kind permission of Peter Monk, Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar Ltd.

Come along with all the family, bring a picnic and enjoy an evening of musical

entertainment in the grounds of the Museum. Weather permitting Registered Museum No: 1991 Arrangements may be changed at short notice Registered Charity No: 298229

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