June 6, 2019 marked the 75th anniversary of
D-Day. This special day was celebrated
by many war veterans who survived those days and were in England to sail to
France. We were in England for this
time; we saw several celebrations for them and many of them emotional. Our dad was there 75 years ago so the
occasion holds special meanings to us.
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| Wings Museum |
During our stay in England, we visited the Wings
Museum. It is Remembrance Museum for
World War Two and began as a family project, founded by Daniel and Kevin Hunt
with their father, Brian Hunt’s support.
It is an incredible tribute to those who gave so much for our future.
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| Hawker Hurricane 11B |
I’ve never been too keen on knowing the details of war that
kills the young men who fight so valiantly for their countries, but seeing this
museum certainly brings home the stories of these men. It is quite an emotional visit just reading
so many personal stories included in the Wings Museum.
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| Soldier's stories |
Families have donated the memorabilia of many of these
fallen soldiers and tell their story for them. The ages of so many was so very
young and one cannot imagine what they faced unless we’ve walked in their
shoes, but these stories do give us some ideas of the struggles they faced
fighting this war.
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| Japanese battles |
They have an enclosed “Dora” room, which included Hitler’s
artifacts and the story of the Holocaust, with images and artwork from those
days. The name ‘Dora’ is in memory of a
young Jewish women who was killed by German soldiers because she was
Jewish. They tied a rock around her
neck, threw her into the river and shot her.
I chose not to go into that room.
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| Propeller Hub |
We were surprised to learn that the propeller hub was
wooden! Looking closely it was basically
several pieces put together rather than one big pole. Amazing! This tells the story of the plane this was taken from.
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| Ghost of the Tundra |
Aircrafts have been recovered from the Russian front where
they were shot down 75 years ago. They are displayed depicting actual crash
sites. Story boards describe the remains
of these aircrafts and what they were before the crashes.
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| Lilly Bell 11 |
We were able to walk inside a Douglas C-47 Dakota, made
famous because of its’ D-Day landings.
The plane was for carrying paratroopers so there was no fancy seating
inside this plane. The authentic sounds
and images add to the experience. There
was a hole in the side of the plane, so glad they have no plans for flying this one anymore.
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| Cockpit of Lilly Bell 11 |
Volunteers are an important part of this museum and the
displays, as well. They have been
involved in building this to what it has become and are there to offer
information about displays. They were
rebuilding an old plane while we were there, too, which must be an ongoing part
of the museum as new things appear.
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| Not to be forgotten |
Videos can be seen and music of the era can be heard over
the sound system, carrying us back in time. Even if we weren’t there then, it
evokes memories of those times, as only music can do. This museum was developed so that the war and
their soldiers would never be forgotten.
I hope this continues as time passes by.
