Day Trips from Manchester

In Brief. The Yorkshire Air Museum hosts an extensive collection of largely British military aircraft, mostly from the Second World War (WW2) and the Cold War. Located in a retired military aerodrome, the original buildings host exhibitions, many of which relate to the history of the site, which was used by Bomber Command in WW2, in particular by squadrons crewed by French aircrew. The site also hosts a memorial rose garden, in honour of the many crews that did not return; only around half the WW2 air crew survived their tours of duty. A Victor bomber / tanker. What's Here? The museum is located in what was once RAF Elvington, a WW2 air base close to York. Many of the original buildings survive, and now host exhibitions that mostly reflect the wartime role of the site.  Thus there is a control tower, a recreated French Officer's Mess, and exhibitions on Bomber Command and on Air Gunners (my father was one of them in WW2). These exhibits include equipment, uniforms, posters and...

In Brief. The Western Approaches Museum is located in a bunker underneath an office building in Liverpool town centre, not far from the waterfront .  The focus of the museum is the bunker from which actions in the 2nd World War Battle of the Atlantic were coordinated. The centrepiece is a striking Operations Room, but there are also videos to provide more information, examples of equipment, staff accommodation and reconstructed streets to provide some context.  There is more on the Battle of the Atlantic in the nearby Maritime Museum . The Operations Room. What's Here? The Battle of the Atlantic involved allied convoys traversing the Atlantic Ocean, largely trying to avoid or sink German U-boats, and continued from 1939 to 1945.  The role of the Western Approaches Command, which was based in the bunker, was to coordinate the convoys, their escorts and air cover, with a view to maximising the number of ships making it through.  The museum itself is fully underground...