WW1 Treasures at RAFM Reserve Collection
 

Visited the RAF Museum Reserve Collection last week, and boy what a place! Wings from aircraft which now don't exist in complete form, bombs, vehicles, stacks of WW1 aircraft propellers, crated complete aircraft, the Demoiselle flying replica from 'Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines', models of every single aircraft the RAF has ever flown, the lot. These photos show only a small part of what they have

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This fantastic piece of nose art is from a Handley Page O/100 heavy bomber, nicknamed the 'Bloody Paralyser'. This particular nose art is from serial number 1466, serving with 216 Squadron RAF

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Morane Saulnier BB

http://www.earlyaviator.com/archive/...aulnier.BB.jpg

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These three photos show a large piece of a Handley Page O/400 upper wing

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A dissasembled Curtiss JN4 'Jenny', used by the RFC and RNAS as a trainer

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Part of (tailplane I believe) a Handley Page V/1500, successor to the O/100 and O/400

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/k...gham/a8-19.jpg

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Bessoneau wood and canvas hangar - a complete one is stored

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Bench made out of DH4 propellers!

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Sopwith Pup wheels

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Zeppelin propeller

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Model of a Blackburn Kangaroo bomber

Now onto the uniforms.... there is a huge room full of shelving and racks, on which hang white bags, in which are original uniforms.... thousands of them! There's also hats, footwear, socks, helmets, puttees....

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Women's motorcycle rider hat

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WAAC hat

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WRAF maternity style jacket in khaki drill - this is blue, but identical ones were made in khaki before blue was introduced

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Pith helmet with RFC insignia

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Warren flying helmet, this one was used in May 1917 with 49 (Training) Squadron RFC at Spitalgate

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1914 pattern RFC maternity jacket

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Earlier pattern maternity jacket - note the sideways pockets and adjustable cuffs

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Me in just one tiny part of the uniform collection

Wow, great photos! Did you get special permission/access to see all that stuff?

I made a prior appointment to visit to see the Handley Page O series bits about two weeks beforehand but ended up visiting the whole collection - it's on a Ministry of Defence base so you have to make a prior appointment instead of just turning up

LeicesterTiger:

Thanks for sharing your photos. It's really nice to see these treasurers and that there in a good place.

Lloyd...