Bentley Priory Museum

Temporary Exhibition: The Bunker: Defending Britain from Nazi & Nuclear Threat
2020-12-23 10:00 - 16:00, 2020-12-26 10:00 - 16:00, 2020-12-30 10:00 - 16:00, 2021-01-02 10:00 - 16:00, 2021-01-06 10:00 - 16:00, 2021-01-09 10:00 - 16:00, 2021-01-13 10:00 - 16:00, 2021-01-16 10:00 - 16:00 UTC and 18 more dates
Bentley Priory’s Battle of Britain & Cold War Bunker: Defending Britain from Nazi & Nuclear Threat
3 October 2020 – Spring 2021
Temporary Exhibition Gallery
Experience first hand accounts from those who worked in the bunker at RAF Bentley Priory from WW2 and throughout the Cold War.
This oral history project has been generously funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Related Events:
Friday Morning Talks
Please check the What’s On section for more details on our Cold War-themed talks programme.
Permanent Exhibition
Look out for our permanent exhibition at the entrance to the bunker opening in Spring 2021.
Podcasts:

Bentley Priory – Defending Britain from Nazi & Nuclear Threat

A podcast series unveiling the exciting stories of a top secret Battle of Britain and Cold War Bunker. Bentley Priory Museum is currently running a project to investigate the history of its underground bunker and how it was a vital tool for the RAF. For the first time a group of volunteers have been collecting oral histories from RAF, WAFF & ROC personnel who played key roles in the operation of Bentley Priory’s Bunker.
Join us as we share some of their untold stories:
https://bentleypriorymuseum.buzzsprout.com/

Included in Museum admission or Annual Membership.

Online Talk: The Berlin Blockade and Air Lift, 1948 - 1949
2021-02-05 11:00 - 12:00
Join us on Zoom for a new Online Talk and discover the amazing feat of achievement that was the Berlin Airlift during the blockade of the city by the Soviets!
This talk will be presented by Aldon Ferguson and is available to join FREE through funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Berlin was a divided city after World War Two with the Soviets occupying the east side of the city and the Allies (British, American and French) the west side. Whilst the Allies wished for a unified city, the Soviets certainly did not. They considered a capitalist city over 100 miles inside East Germany would be a threat to their control.
On June 24, 1948, the Soviet authorities announced that the Autobahn, the highway connecting west Germany to Berlin, would be closed indefinitely “for repairs.” And the Berlin Blockade started.
The Allies responded with the biggest air lift ever seen in history operating to three Berlin airports and onto lakes in seaplanes; they managed to supply the city with all its needs for over a year. It only just succeeded, but it did, and this is the story of how it happened.
By Aldon Ferguson
Joining the Talk
The talk will be held online on Zoom at 11am on Friday 5th February. Limited places are available.
Book your free ticket online here. One ticket per Zoom screen is required.
The Zoom joining details (ID & password) will be emailed to you shortly before the start of the talk. Please log on at 10.50am, ready for a prompt start at 11am.
During the talk, you will see and hear the speaker, but you will not be heard or seen on screen yourself. There will be the opportunity to ask questions via the Q&A function.
About the Cold War Talks Series
Bentley Priory Museum is delighted to be running a series of online talks exploring the Cold War, to complement our current project, Bentley Priory Bunker: Defending Britain from Nazi and Nuclear Threat.
These special talks are free to all, thanks to the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund. If you enjoy the talk and would like to support the Museum with a donation, any amount great or small is hugely appreciated!
DONATE HERE
A team of volunteers have been recruited to work on the project which aims to record and share the memories of RAF, ROC and WAAF personnel who worked in the Top Secret Bunker at RAF Bentley Priory, focusing on the key historical periods of the Battle of Britain in 1940 and the Cold War from 1945 to 1991.
A temporary exhibition is running at the Museum on open days throughout 2021, and a permanent exhibition is being created – we look forward to sharing it with you soon!
Our ongoing podcast series brings to life the experiences of those who worked in the Bunker during WWII and the Cold War through fascinating oral history interviews. Please listen to the podcasts via our website here: Bunker Podcasts

Online Talk: Memories of Flying
2021-02-26 11:00 - 12:00
‘A ramble through my time in the RAF and the aircraft I have been privileged to fly’
Join us on Zoom for a new Online Talk and hear from renowned pilot Air Marshal Cliff Spink about his exciting and varied career in the RAF!

Air Marshal Cliff Spink takes us through his time in the RAF and talks about some of the 65 types and marks of aircraft that he has flown.
Joining the RAF as an apprentice in 1963, he went on to serve for just over 40 years in Uniform and retired as an Air Marshal having flown throughout his career. In parallel to his time in the service he was a display pilot flying on the civilian circuit in a multitude of vintage aircraft.
By AM Cliff Spink
Joining the Talk
The talk will be held online on Zoom at 11am on Friday 26th February. Limited places are available.
Non-Annual Member Tickets: £4
Annual Member Tickets: Free
Book your ticket online here. One ticket per Zoom screen is required.
The Zoom joining details (ID & password) will be emailed to you shortly before the start of the talk. Please log on at 10.50am, ready for a prompt start at 11am.
During the talk, you will see and hear the speaker, but you will not be heard or seen on screen yourself. There will be the opportunity to ask questions via the Q&A function.
About Annual Membership
Annual members benefit from free access to our Online Talks and onsite Friday Morning Talks programmes, as well as unlimited access to the Museum galleries, gardens and cafe on standard open days and school holiday family activities. Annual memberships affected by the temporary closure of the Museum due to coronavirus lockdown restrictions will be extended once the Museum reopens.
Buy Annual Membership online here.
Support Bentley Priory Museum
As an independent charity, the past year of lockdown closure has had a huge impact on Bentley Priory Museum and we rely on your support to continue to safeguard and share the incredibly important story of Bentley Priory and the Battle of Britain.
If you enjoy this talk and would like to support the Museum with a donation, any amount great or small is hugely appreciated!
DONATE HERE

Online Talk: Britain's Vietnam War: The RAF over Indo-China, 1945-6
2021-03-12 11:00 - 12:00
Join us on Zoom for a new Online Talk and discover the fascinating story of the RAF’s campaign in French Indo-China at the beginning of the Cold War.
This talk will be presented by Stuart Hadaway and is available to join FREE through funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

In 1945, British forces moved into French Indo-China to secure the country from the occupying Japanese forces. Their attempts fell foul of international politics, scarcity of resources, and a highly confused situation on the ground.
While the RAF provided air support, British and Indian troops did their best to take the Japanese surrender and hold key points until the French could re-establish their civil power.
Under attack by Nationalist and Communist guerrillas, the British managed to achieve their objectives and leave the country in the midst of a spiralling civil war, in contrast to their more famous efforts in the Dutch East Indies which eventually saw heavy commitment of forces.
This talk will chart the involvement of the RAF in this little known campaign, and also look at their recruitment of highly unorthodox allies in the shape of Task Force Gremlin, drawn from the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service.
By Stuart Hadaway

Joining the Talk
The talk will be held online on Zoom at 11am on Friday 12th March. Limited places are available.
Book your free ticket online here. One ticket per Zoom screen is required.
The Zoom joining details (ID & password) will be emailed to you shortly before the start of the talk. Please log on at 10.50am, ready for a prompt start at 11am.
During the talk, you will see and hear the speaker, but you will not be heard or seen on screen yourself. There will be the opportunity to ask questions via the Q&A function.
About the Cold War Talks Series
Bentley Priory Museum is delighted to be running a series of online talks exploring the Cold War, to complement our current project, Bentley Priory Bunker: Defending Britain from Nazi and Nuclear Threat.
These special talks are free to all, thanks to the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund. If you enjoy the talk and would like to support the Museum with a donation, any amount great or small is hugely appreciated!
DONATE HERE
A team of volunteers have been recruited to work on the project which aims to record and share the memories of RAF, ROC and WAAF personnel who worked in the Top Secret Bunker at RAF Bentley Priory, focusing on the key historical periods of the Battle of Britain in 1940 and the Cold War from 1945 to 1991.
A temporary exhibition is running at the Museum on open days throughout 2021, and a permanent exhibition is being created – we look forward to sharing it with you soon!
Our ongoing podcast series brings to life the experiences of those who worked in the Bunker during WWII and the Cold War through fascinating oral history interviews. Please listen to the podcasts via our website here: Bunker Podcasts

Online Talk: ‘On a ‘Wing’ and a Prayer: The British Imperial Airship Scheme 1924-30’
2021-03-19 11:00 - 12:00
Join us on Zoom for a new Online Talk and discover the fascinating history and ultimate tragedy of the Airships!

An iconic form of inter-war aviation, the airship dream famously met its end with the 1937 Hindenburg Disaster. However, less known is a revolutionary British programme based in Bedfordshire that intended to connect the farthest reaches of the Empire with a fleet of luxurious craft.
Building two airships, R100 and R101, the triumphs and tribulations of their development are presented, ultimately ending in one of the worst disasters to befall the British aeronautical industry.
By Rudi Newman
Joining the Talk
The talk will be held online on Zoom at 11am on Friday 19th March. Limited places are available.
Non-Annual Member Tickets: £4
Annual Member Tickets: Free
Book your ticket online here. One ticket per Zoom screen is required.
The Zoom joining details (ID & password) will be emailed to you shortly before the start of the talk. Please log on at 10.50am, ready for a prompt start at 11am.
During the talk, you will see and hear the speaker, but you will not be heard or seen on screen yourself. There will be the opportunity to ask questions via the Q&A function.
About Annual Membership
Annual members benefit from free access to our Online Talks and onsite Friday Morning Talks programmes, as well as unlimited access to the Museum galleries, gardens and cafe on standard open days and school holiday family activities. Annual memberships affected by the temporary closure of the Museum due to coronavirus lockdown restrictions will be extended once the Museum reopens.
Buy Annual Membership online here.
Support Bentley Priory Museum
As an independent charity, the past year of lockdown closure has had a huge impact on Bentley Priory Museum and we rely on your support to continue to safeguard and share the incredibly important story of Bentley Priory and the Battle of Britain.
If you enjoy this talk and would like to support the Museum with a donation, any amount great or small is hugely appreciated!
DONATE HERE
