Places To Visit
There are a large number of aviation museums in the UK - too many to list here - that have in their collections aircraft and artefacts related to Fleet Air Arm operations during the 1960s. Checkout the Aeroflight website for further details of a museum near you.
I will only recommend my favourite for now:
The Fleet Air Arm Museum at RNAS Yeovilton is one of the largest museums in the UK and is a truly world class facility. The highlight of a visit has to be the excellent Carrier exhibition where a large number of post WW2 Royal Navy aircraft are displayed in a full scale carrier scenario. The atmospheric display is greatly enhanced by a large audio visual display of a Buccaneer S2 landing on and a Phantom F4-K taking off. The Museum also has an excellent records and research centre - prior booking is essential if you would like to use this facility though.
No trip to Yeovilton would be complete without a visit to St. Bartholomew's Church. Once semi derelict and no longer used by the local diocese, St. Bart's was purchased by the Royal Navy for £1 and fully restored to become the Fleet Air Arm Memorial Church. It is open to the public daily from 1400 - 1600 (Fridays 1300 - 1500) and for family Eucharist (Sundays at 1030) and is located in Yeovilton village on the opposite side of the airfield from the Museum. Within the Church is a beautifully produced Roll of Honour which records the names of all those who lost their lives in the service of the Fleet Air Arm. I found it particularly poignant when I visited the Church on a weekday and looked through the roll of honour with the serenity of the location being frequently interrupted by the overhead roar of jet engines courtesy of the resident Sea Harriers! near the Museum. Contact the Curator on +44 (0)
Last updated: 25th July 2009