RAF Museum, Hendon

To mark the centenary of the formation of the Royal Air Force, in 2018 the RAF Museum in London will launch a transformed Museum, with three new permanent exhibitions, a new visitor centre and dedicated Learning Centre, landscaped grounds that trace the history of the site’s use as a former airfield, improved access to the collection and an expanded Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) Learning programme. Through this £26 million transformation, the Museum will place the story of the RAF at the heart of everything they do, from its beginnings in the First World War through to the use of advanced technologies in modern-day warfare.

Over three generations, the Beaverbrook family has forged close connections with the RAF, through government policy and service, and we are proud to support the work of the RAF Museum. Our partnership with the Museum will help their visitors to gain a greater understanding of the role of the RAF over the past one hundred years, and its vital role in the future, as well as engaging the public with the Museum’s history as a former RAF base, home to Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAAF) Squadrons such as No. 601 Squadron in which Sir Max Aitken served.

Within the new permanent exhibition, the First One Hundred Years of the RAF (working title), the Museum will tell the story of the RAF through its people and collections. The ‘RAF Family’ area of the exhibition will feature the Beaverbrook story: a silhouette of AVM Lord Beaverbrook, Commandant General of RAAF, will help tell the story of Auxiliary Squadrons, and additional digital stories will highlight the first Lord Beaverbrook’s role as Minister of Aircraft Production and Sir Max Aitken’s service as a pilot during the Second World War, bringing together three generations of service to the RAF.

Visitors will also be able to download a digital trail to explore the site and learn more about 601 Squadron and Sir Max Aitken, who flew with 601 during the early stages of the Second World War.