REME Museum AEROPLANES Automobiles and the Armed Forces At several museums in and around Wiltshire you can trace the fascinating story of flight. Boscombe Down Aviation Collection near Salisbury, for example, is a working museum housed in a historic World War One hangar. Here, over 100 exhibits, including 30 aircraft, bring the history of test flight in the UK to life. Sit in a cockpit, dress up in a flight suit and helmet, imagine yourself as a fighter pilot, and watch ongoing restoration on real aircraft. 26 #timeforwiltshire
Army Flying Museum > Boscombe Down Aviation Collection > Vintage Classics > Atwell-Wilson Motor Museum Located beside the busy airfield at Middle Wallop, near Salisbury, the Army Flying Museum is the official Regimental Museum of the Army Air Corps and its predecessors. Here you can experience 100 years of British soldiers in the air, from the pioneering era of balloons and kites through to modern day helicopter operations. Exhibits housed in two large hangars include over 40 fixed wing and rotary aircraft. Showcasing vehicles from yesteryear, Atwell-Wilson Motor Museum in Calne takes you on a nostalgic trip down memory lane. Most exhibits are cars from the 1920s onwards. But you’ll also find motorcycles, mopeds and bicycles; a reconstructed 1930s-style Somehow, garage complete with vehicles; a model time lorry collection, has and a more range of interesting motoring memorabilia. If you’ve always longed meaning to sit behind the wheel of iconic in car, Wiltshire now is your chance, as Vintage Classics bring you the ultimate hands-on driving experience! Timeless models available to hire include the Audi Ur Quattro Turbo (as featured in the BBC’s Ashes to Ashes), the Jaguar MKII (of Inspector Morse fame) and many other models from Austen and Alfa Romeo to Triumph and Daimler. Alternatively, enjoy the freedom of the road in a well-equipped campervan from Practical Motorhome Hire – with a choice of 2-3 berth or 4-6 berth models they make the ideal touring vehicles. Highlighting the ingenuity and endeavour of Britain’s armed forces, from centuries past to the present day, three of our museums trace the history of a particular corps or regiment. REME Museum in Lyneham opened in 2017 and is the latest addition to the Wiltshire stable, its remit to preserve the heritage of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. In a collection exceeding 100,000 items you’ll find over 100 military vehicles and more than 1,700 medals. Over 950 weapons and more than 2,000 items of uniform. Plus an extensive archive of letters, pamphlets and photographs, paintings, instruction manuals and vehicle specifications. The Royal Signals Museum near Blandford Forum traces the history of the British Army’s battlefield communications. From the introduction of the telegraph in the Crimea, via espionage and satellites, to today’s digital battlefields of cyberspace and electronic warfare. With a range of interactive exhibits bringing history to life, you can send and receive messages in Morse code, set up a radio and satellite network, or drive a full size truck through a virtual world. Located in Salisbury’s Cathedral Close, The Rifles Berkshire & Wiltshire Museum showcases the exploits of the infantry of these two local regiments, from 1748 until the present day. Of the 34,000 items in the collection, some 2,000 are on display, with most of the rest available to view via the museum website. In addition to many fascinating photographs the collection features archive documents, medals and items of uniform. Swords, rifles, pistols and anti-tank weapons. Pictures, flags, ornaments and battlefield souvenirs. Even a cannon ball from the American War of Independence. visitwiltshire.co.uk 27
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