Showing 21 to 30 of 253 search results

Westland Lysander Mk. III

Aircraft & Exhibits, AUG 1940-1971, In Storage, 74/A/21

Westland Lysanders are best known for transporting secret agents to and from occupied France during the Second World War. This Lysander first flew with No. 255 Squadron in 1940, but later flew with No. 161 (Special Duties) Squadron from October 1944.

Port side view of Westland Lysander on a white background., RAF Museum

Pilot Officer William 'Billy' Meade Lindsley Fiske, 1940

Archives, 1940, In Storage, X003-0363/002

Pilot Officer William 'Billy' Meade Lindsley Fiske was an American pilot killed during the Battle of Britain whilst flying with No. 601 Squadron. Fiske's log book covers the period of 25 October 1939-16 August 1940.

Large monochrome bust length print, right side on with head turned towards the camera, in RAF uniform., Royal Air Force Museum / RAF Museum

Diary of Pilot Officer John Derek Bisdee, 8 May 1940-24 December 1940

Archives, 08 MAY 1940-24 DEC 1940, In Storage, X008-7751/002

John Bisdee was a fighter pilot with No. 609 Squadron in 1940. His diary records his involvement in the air fighting over Dunkirk in May and June 1940 and later in the Battle of Britain.

Black notebook with manuscript entries.

Parachute Fabric from the final flight of Pilot Officer William Meade Lindsley Fiske

Aircraft & Exhibits, 1940, In Storage, 78/C/1209

Fragment of charred silk parachute framed with written history and press cutting of Pilot Officer William Meade Lindsley (Billy) Fiske's funeral.

piece of burnt parachute, a newspaper clipping, descriptive caption and note on donation inside a frame, RAF Museum

Hawker Hurricane Mark I

Aircraft & Exhibits, JAN 1940-MAY 1972, London, Hangar Three/Four, 72/A/1404

The Hawker Hurricane Mk I entered service in 1937 as the RAF's first eight-gun monoplane. During the Battle of Britain Hurricanes were more numerous than Spitfires and shot down over 60% of all German aircraft destroyed.

Single engine aircraft with propeller and camouflage pattern, © RAF Museum

Spitfire Mark I Windscreen

Aircraft & Exhibits, 1940, In Storage, 80/A/1142

This armoured windscreen from a Spitfire Mk I was damaged by machine gun fire on 9 September 1940 during the Battle of Britain. The pilot was Sub Lieutenant Arthur Blake RN from No. 19 Squadron based at Fowlmere.

Shattered glass in an arch-shaped thick metal frame, © RAF Museum

Dornier Do 17Z Wing Section

Aircraft & Exhibits, 1940, In Storage, In Storage, In Storage, X006-8340

On 26 August 1940, this Do 17 German light bomber was attacking RAF fighter stations when it was met by No. 264 Squadron flying Defiants. After exchanging fire, it was forced to ditch on the Goodwin Sands, off the coast of Kent.

Central section of Do 17Z wing showing battle-damaged and corroded aluminium-alloy skin over rusted steel elements., Royal Air Force Museum

No. 32 Squadron Scoreboard

Aircraft & Exhibits, 1940, In Storage, 66/C/90

Traditionally squadrons recorded their performance against enemy aircraft, showing victories, probables and damaged. This scoreboard is from No. 32 Squadron, based at Biggin Hill, a key target for the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain.

Wingtip with handwritten title, names and scores; RAF roundel design in the centre overlaid with a bow, pearls and horn, © RAF Museum

The Enigma Machine

Aircraft & Exhibits, 1940-1945, London, Hangar Five, 82/R/503

Engima was the trade name for the cypher machine used by the Germans to code their communications, the codes of which changed daily. British listening stations intercepted messages which were then passed to cryptographers at the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park to decode.

Metal machine with individual keys for each letter and interconnecting wires, inside a wooden box, © RAF Museum

Boulton Paul Defiant Mark I

Aircraft & Exhibits, 1940-1944, Cosford, Hangar Two, 74/A/16

The Defiant introduced a new tactical concept in two-seat RAF fighter design by concentrating all armament in a four-gun turret behind the cockpit. During the Battle of Britain, it proved no match for German fighters and was quickly withdrawn from daylight operations and moved to a night-fighter role.

Single engine aircraft with propeller and black wings and body, © RAF Museum