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Published: August 18th 2018
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Woolly says – I peered out of the window as I waited for Jo to finish whatever it is that she has to do to get out of the place, it only takes me ten seconds to leap from my bed and be dressed and ready to go! Darker clouds were gathering, the hot balmy weather seems to have departed leaving us with grey skies and high chances of rain, todays excursion would be undercover so there wasn’t a need for my raincoat. With Zoe working for the day I had been left to entrain Jo alone and having considered our options I decided it was time to make a return visit to one of my favourite museums. Our last visit had been on 26th January 2013, how can you be so accurate I hear you cry, easy, it was the place that we had visited for our third blog! The two hundred and thirty eight words seem so poultry compared to the blog writing now, it was time for a rewrite. The blogs have changed considerably over the last years and this was one experience that could be added to.
Woolly says – RAF Cosford opened in 1938 as a joint aircraft maintenance, storage and technical training unit. During the Second World War it trained 70,000 airmen in engine, airframe and armament trades and its crews delivered Spitfires from the base, often flown by women, Amy Johnson was at Cosford on many occasions, to airfields in the south of the country. On 1st May 1979 the now former airbase was opened to the public as a free museum. As we drove alongside the runway I wondered if I might one day captain a jet, a small dream yet to become a reality, with large signs telling us not to take pictures Jo waited until we had left the reception building before turning our trusty camera on, as she waited for it to power up I stood admiring the huge iron birds around me, although all retired they were still maintained with infinite care, a set of steps led up to one of the cockpits and my paws itched to run under the ‘no entry’ sign and inspect the pilots area. It was then that I realised that Jo was not taking pictures and was in fact heading back into the entry
hall, I picked up my paws and trotted after her, I found her talking to one of the civilian staff members who was shaking his head and then followed her to the canteen area where the staff there all shook there heads as well, so that I didn’t feel left out I shook my head to see if it would help with understanding what she was actually doing. I gave her a puzzled look as she sat down at a table and turned to me and said…….
‘Sorry Wooll’s the battery is dead in the camera’
Woolly says - ……. ‘WHAT! I give you one simple job to do and you……’ I realised that a few people were looking our way and stopped abruptly. I had to admire the fact that she had been brave enough to go and ask every member of staff if anyone had a charger we could borrow before facing the fact that pictures were going to be an issue, I patted her hand and asked her what she was going to do about the problem. I sat for a few moments, a
coffee might be a good idea and a snack for my disgruntled friend, I dug into the bag for my purse and my hand found my kindle, I pulled it out and sat looking at it for a short while, not wanting to build my hopes or the small furry ones either I turned it on…..
Woolly says – And now she thinks she’s gong to read! You really can’t get the staff these days. ……. Having pressed the screen a few times I had a range of graphics in front of me one of which appeared to be a camera, I pressed the screen and a couple of photos of me and Zoe popped up, I pressed again and suddenly a camera screen appeared, I grinned at my companion, gathered up my bag and the remains of his snack and led the way into the first hanger. I apologise now for the quality but it’s better than nothing.
Woolly says - I was actually quite impressed with her…..for once. Hanger one was a huge space filled with airplanes of all shapes and sizes that had fought in the second world war, spitfires and Messerschmitt’s sat side by side when once they would have battled in head on skirmishes. Tables were laid out with letters sent to families during the war from the pilots from the station along with mannequins showing off the uniforms of the time. Seeing another set of steps leading towards a cockpit I raced over and climbed up to peer inside, hundreds of dials and levers were everywhere, where did you put the key? Why didn’t they have a steering wheel? It looked incredibly complicated, I quickly revised my dream to include a personal pilot for my luxury plane. So many planes to look at, some with their underbellies open to view and some looking as though they were ready to take to the sky immediately. We came to a much smaller aircraft which looked nearly mammoth sized, I felt a chill run through me as I read the information board which told me that it was a suicide plane, who on earth would volunteer to take on that job I wondered. Having completed the circuit of the first hanger we filed across the tarmac and into a much newer building.
Hanger two had been specifically built in 2007 to house the second exhibition which was based on the cold war years.
Woolly says – An immense white plane seemed to take up half the of space, surrounding it were smaller planes and a few tanks as well as red hub centres. Each hub told us about the cold war through films, voice overs and information boards, it’s incredible to think that not so many years ago everyone was literally ready to bomb each other, one of the hubs talked about Greenham Common and the women who had camped there for years to demonstrate against nuclear attack. Displays were not just on the ground, rockets and small planes were suspended from the rafters high above me, as we took the stairs downwards we entered an area that dealt with the iron curtain and the Berlin wall, large wall displays told us how the UK and Russia had lived during those dark days giving the comparisons of lifestyle of the man on the street. Having inspected each and every item we passed through the ever-ready shop towards Hanger one where I remembered the oldest planes and history form the first world war lived, a big sign stood in our way, I read it slowly before glaring at Jo.
Of course, it was closed, do we expect anything less! I smiled down at my small friend, a return trip maybe! He gave a small tight-lipped smile, I smiled at him again, a return trip and a piece of cake now, he sat for a moment before giving a slight nod before galloping towards the canteen in search of cake.
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