OPENING ON SUNDAY, 27 JUNE 2021: Forty-one visitors came to Bircham Newton on the 27^th of June, when we opened the RAF Heritage Centre to visitors for the first time in 2021.

Roger Farmer visited from the Fenland and West Norfolk Aviation Museum to share information about Reginald Smith, who served at Bircham Newton with No. 99 Bomber Squadron in the mid-1920s. Roger had recently shared some aeroplane photographs taken during Smith’s time at Bircham Newton via the Facebook group.  He brought the photograph album and Smith’s service record along to the Heritage Centre to allow copies to be made.

Another visitor, John Lewis, from Holt, made a second visit to capture some video footage of the Heritage Centre. John donated some interesting books, including an RAF Souvenir book/magazine 1971 Edition, for our collection.  He also supplied additional information about the Heinkel – He115 crash at Sheringham on the 6^th of December 1939, in which Oberfeldwebel (Staff Sergeant) Emil Rodel and two other crew members died. Emil Rodel was the first WW2 combatant to be buried in in St. Mary’s Churchyard, Great Bircham. This occurred with full military honours on the 9^th of December 1939.

Bob Danes, a former RAF administrative apprentice, who trained at Bircham Newton as a member of the 33^rd Entry, also visited. Bob later became a Master Air Loadmaster and legendary winchman on Search and Rescue helicopters. He was awarded the Air Force Cross (AFC) and Bar for his courage and devotion during extremely hazardous rescues he performed as a winchman.

One of Edith's most precious possessions was a battered old teddy bear, which had been a first birthday present from an uncle in Canada more than a century ago. She told Charlie how she had carried it around from station to station throughout her W.A.A.F. service. She also revealed that it had been adopted as a lucky mascot by a Canadian crew at Bircham Newton, who would take it with them when they flew on operations across the North Sea. Fortunately, this particular crew and the bear had survived these operations, although many other aircraft and their crews did not. After Edith passed away, Charlie rediscovered the bear in her possessions and could not bring himself to dispose of it. Consequently, he brought the bear to Bircham Newton and donated it to the Heritage Centre for safe keeping.  We are more than happy to adopt it in memory of Edith and her service.

Mrs. Jennifer Oliver also visited with a little mystery she had discovered in her late father’s flying logbook. He was Pilot Officer Frederick Harry Bishop, who had completed his flying training in South Africa under the Joint Air Training Scheme. After he returned to the UK, Frederick spent a short period in September 1946 attached to a unit called ACAC at Bircham Newton, before he left the service.  Although we suspected that ACAC was an aircrew holding unit or clearing house for surplus aircrew at the end of the war, we had not previously heard of this unit. No. 27 Aircrew Holding Unit was the unit normally associated with this role. However, 27 ACHU had formed at Bircham Newton in September 1945, but had disbanded in May 1946, prior to Frederick’s arrival in Norfolk. Subsequent research has revealed that ACAC was an Air Crew Allocation Centre which moved to Bircham Newton in August 1946 and disbanded in October of the same year. It had previously operated at Eastchurch, Brackla and Catterick. Bircham Newton was its final move before it too was disbanded.  We must now thank Jennifer Oliver for adding yet another unit to our ever-growing understanding of Bircham Newton’s history.