Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre

Name: Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre
Address: Waldron Road, Montrose, DD109BD, GB
Telephone: 01674 678222
Price range: $
Rating: 4.9

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Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre

Home of the first operational military air station in Great Britain. The Heritage Centre is run entirely by volunteers who keep its amazing history alive.

Britain’s first operational military airfield was set up in Montrose by the Royal Flying Corps in 1913. The heritage centre's collection of photographs and artefacts tell the story of RFC/RAF Montrose through the words and deeds of the men and women who served here through two world wars, bringing the airfield alive and sparking the enthusiasm and admiration of generations for whom the First and Second Wars exists only in others’ memories.

Temporarily closed

19/11/2022

Military historians - we need your help !

Over the past few months we have been busy recreating the office of Group Captain F.H. Coleman who served as station commander at RAF Montrose for most of World War II.

We have traced his family who have very kindly donated several original photographs of Coleman however this one is a bit of a mystery.

Coleman stands to the far right of the picture but can anyone shed any light on who the others are or what the occasion was ?

Please share - we'd love to solve the mystery !"

#1940

18/11/2022

Unfortunately due to the adverse weather the museum will be closed this Saturday and Sunday (the 19th and 20th of November). Hope to see you next weekend.
Stay safe!

16/11/2022

Come along to the museum on Saturday and Sunday and aswell as seeing all our amazing aircraft check out our gift shop for all our potential Christmas gifts including airfix models, Berty the bear, corgi model planes, toys for kids and our museum souvenirs.

Saturday 10am-4pm
Sunday 12pm-4pm
Last entry at 3pm both days!
See you there!

11/11/2022

We will remember them.

06/11/2022

Come along and visit us today, not only to see the planes and all our amazing artifacts but also our fantastic gift shop with an amazing array of perfect Christmas gifts and stocking fillers

Sunday 12pm-4pm
Last entry at 3pm

04/11/2022

Open again Saturday and Sunday this week. Don't forget our fantastic range of potential Christmas gifts for all ages in our shop, including toy planes, airfix models, teddy bears and much more! Come along and check it out!!!!

Saturday 10am-4pm
Sunday 12pm-4pm
Last entry at 3pm both days

01/11/2022

WINTER OPENING HOURS

We would like to remind all our visitors that as from the weekend of 5th and 6th November we are entering our winter opening hours and we will only be open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays.

Our winter hours are :

Saturday 10am-4pm
Sunday 12pm-4pm
As always, last entry at 3pm!

WE WILL NOT BE OPEN ON FRIDAYS.

We would like to thank all our wonderful visitors over the year for their support and encouragement.

28/10/2022

Thank you to one of our guests today who kept the staff entertained with her fantastic playing of our piano in the 1940s room. So sorry that I didn't catch your name!

21/10/2022

Hello everyone,
We are open this weekend! Come along and check out all our amazing displays!!
Friday 10am-4pm
Saturday 10am-4pm
Sunday 12pm-4pm
Everyday, last entry at 3pm !
Can't wait to see you there!!

20/10/2022

A few more pictures of our wonderful David Brown Tractor restoration project.

It is extremely rewarding to see this old tractor being restored back to the condition that it deserves.

Well done Hazel and her team 👍

19/10/2022

Great to see our David Brown Tractor getting some well needed care and attention as we restore her to her original glory.

Our volunteer Hazel is doing a wonderful job confirming the history and origins of this tractor as well as rolling up her sleeves and getting to work on stripping down the entire tractor for restoration.

Volunteers saving history !

15/10/2022

Come along and check out our amazing collection of plates in our gift shop! So much to choose from. Bargain prices at £3 each or 2 for £5! Don't miss out when they're gone they're gone!

14/10/2022

Just a reminder that we are open weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday)! Come along and check it out, we have lots to see. Hope to see you there. We are also dog friendly!

Friday 10am-4pm
Saturday 10am-4pm
Sunday 12pm-4pm
Everyday last entry at 3pm!

06/10/2022

Boss Boards

Traditionally each RAF squadron has a 'Boss Board'. These list the names of the Squadron Commanders and their dates of service.

Montrose Air Heritage Centre is proud to present the old 43(Fighter) Squadron Boss Boards, which until recently were stored in Edinburgh. This has been possible due to the assistance of Air Officer Scotland Air Vice Marshal Ross Patterson.

The Boss Boards will reside alongside the beautifully painted 43(F) Squadron Crest on the wall of our original 1913 hangar.

On Saturday 24th September 2022 former members of '43'; Wg Cdr Andy Moir RAF, Wg Cdr Sandy Davies and Sqn Ldr Jack Hammill, were present accompanied by their partners, as the 'Boss Boards' were proudly unveiled

A comment from our chairman
“It was an honour and a privilege to have an “ex Boss” unveiling the Boss Boards of 43(F)Squadron with two wingmen in support.
The Museum is extremely proud of our connection with The Fighting C***s and we celebrate our DNA connection to the Squadron in our WW1 hangar where the first squadron boss Sholto Douglas and many of the first pilots would of walked prior to the formation of the Squadron on the 15th April 1916 at Raploch in Stirling”

Gloria Finis

04/10/2022

We were honoured to welcome John and Meg Wallace from the USA to the Air Station yesterday.
John is the grandson of Captain Alexander Wallace who rode Vic, the Montrose war horse, throughout World War 1 and ensured that she came home after the war. She was the only surviving horse from the 131 that served with the Forfarshire Battery.
John very kindly gifted his grandfather's army tunic and medals last year and came to see the display for himself.

The story will also be shown on STV news at 6 o'clock in Scotland (4.10.22)

02/10/2022

Hello everyone,
Just a reminder that WE ARE OPEN today from 12-4 (last entry at 3)
Feel free to come along and say hi!
Hope to see you there!!

30/09/2022

Thanks for our hardy visitors who braved the weather today, don't forget we are open Saturday and Sunday aswell!
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 12pm - 4pm
Both days last entry at 3pm

23/09/2022

REMEMBER
We are open as usual today (10am - 4pm, last entry at 3pm). We look forward to seeing you there!

21/09/2022

REMINDER:
We are open again this weekend!
Friday - 10am -4pm
Saturday - 10am - 4pm
Sunday 12pm - 4pm
LAST ENTRY AT 3PM EVERY DAY

20/09/2022

We would like to thank all our members, supporters and visitors for all your patience and understanding during what has been a sad and emotional period.

We now look forward to welcoming all our visitors and members back to the museum.

As we celebrate our fourth monarch in the history of our site may we add our voice to:

Long live the King!

11/09/2022

A message from the Chairman

As a mark of respect the museum will remain closed to the public until the weekend after the State Funeral of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Therefore the museum will reopen to the public on Friday 23 September 2022.

We would like to thank our supporters and potential visitors for your understanding during this difficult period.

Stuart Archibald

Chairman.

08/09/2022

It is with deep regret that the Montrose Air Station Museum acknowledges the passing of Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Our thoughts are with The Royal Family at this very sad time.

As a mark of respect the museum will close immediately for a period of mourning.

03/09/2022

A special thank you to the Commanding Officer and men and women of No2(AC) Squadron for their hospitality and warm welcome during the 110 year anniversary celebrations at RAF Lossiemouth.

It was wonderful to see that our founder squadron at the Museum is still going from strength to strength.

Onwards and Upwards. . . Together !

02/09/2022

Remember, we are open today ! Come along and say hi

30/08/2022

The Museum was honoured to welcome World renowned author and military historian,a soldier of 30 years and ex No2(AC)Squadron member (back seatDirection Advisor) Hans Onderwater MBE and his good lady wife Marjoan to the museum for a private visit and important discussions about future opportunities.

It has been an immense pleasure and I look forward to our continuing friendship.

29/08/2022

To anyone who came to our open weekend/ fly-in and took photos or videos, please feel free to share them and tag us in them !!

28/08/2022

A special thank you to each and every pilot who visited us during our Fly In event.

Your generosity of time and fuel has made our Open Weekend and Fly In one of the most successful events in recent memory.

Without pilots our Station would not have existed from 1913 and it is gratifying that pilots of today are helping to keep the memory of Montrose Air Station safe for future generations.

Onwards and Upwards. . . Together !

28/08/2022

A message from the Chairman.

I would like take this opportunity to publicly thank the 30 or so volunteers who attended our Open Weekend and Fly In on each day of the event.

Our volunteers are the life blood of our museum and without each and every one of you the spectacular success over the weekend would not have been possible.

As we continue with our expansion and regeneration plans it is refreshing to see the increasing numbers of volunteers who are keen to work as a professional and friendly team to help achieve our aims.

We will continue the move onwards and upward . . .together !

28/08/2022

Hi all, if you've been at our fly-in/ open weekend this weekend and enjoyed it, please could you do us a favour and rate us on TripAdvisor under "Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre" !
Thank you in advance !

27/08/2022

Some brilliant photos (taken by our volunteers) from our fly-in/ first day of the open weekend today ! Amazing turnout of people and fabulous help from our volunteers (some of whom even dressed up !) Come along tomorrow for more planes, food and fun!

27/08/2022

DONT FORGET OUR FLY-IN IS TODAY COME ALONG AND SAY HI !

26/08/2022

Here's an updated version of the parking map for Saturday and Sunday

26/08/2022

Come and join us tomorrow and/ or Sunday for our open weekend and fly-in ! A brilliant event for all the family, we have everything, burger, chips, coffee, cake and ice cream !! Face painting too ! A great event for the whole family.
27th and 28th of August from 9am till 5 pm !

26/08/2022

Here's some more information about parking at our fly-in this weekend ! See you there !

26/08/2022

One day to go folks ! See you tomorrow at our open weekend/ fly-in !!

25/08/2022

We've even got a face painter coming to our fly-in this weekend, a great event for all ages !

25/08/2022

We now have Forfar Instrumental band preforming with us on Sunday the 28th between 12pm and 3pm !

25/08/2022

Come and join us at our fabulous flyin event this weekend (Saturday and Sunday the 27th and 28th from 9am to 5pm both days !)
We will have lots of events and attractions such as ...
- facepainting
- multiple catering trucks including the brilliant , a fish and chip van, a burger van, ice-cream van,
- we also have the squadron scramble and much more
(More information about events on our page)

24/08/2022

Thanks to all the hardworking volunteers in our retail team the Museum Gift Shop is now fully stocked with fantastic products at reasonable prices.

Something for everyone but you had better be quick !

We look forward to seeing you over the weekend.

Onwards and Upwards . . . Together !

24/08/2022

Our first Open Weekend and Fly In since 2019 so come and help us celebrate our wonderful return to normality after an unusual period that we have all endured together.

Don’t miss a great day out for the whole family with lots to see and do for the whole family.

We look forward to seeing you 👍

Onwards and Upwards. . . Together !

Address

Waldron Road
Montrose
DD109BD

The X7 Perth to Aberdeen Bus passes close to the Air Station. Get off at the Waldron Road stop and you will see the sign guiding you over a bridge to the Air Station.

Telephone

01674 678222

Website

http://www.rafmontrose.org.uk/

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Videos

RAF Montrose Trained Pilot - Joseph Albert Emile Monette

VE Day 2021

To the Skies Once Again at Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre

Our first flight from our newly constructed Montrose Air Station runway. We're absolutely delighted with this new addition to our museum. Our sincere thanks to David Jamieson who provided the drone footage and to our neighbours RyBay Corrosion Services Ltd for sponsoring the footage.

VJ Day 75

To commemorate VJ Day 75 we held a ceremony earlier today. Starting with the flag at half-mast the 2 minute silence was started by the Station Scamble Bell followed by the sirens sounding the all clear and the flag being fully raised. We were joined in the 2 minute silence and the sirens by Poppy Scotland - Montrose at the Ball House and by the ships in harbour at Montrose Port Authority Mark Lumgair, our Air Station Piper completed the ceremony with his wonderful playing of Battles O'er. Thank you to all our volunteers and visitors who participated and helped us mark the 75th anniversary of VJ Day and the end of World War Two.

Hawker Hunter Build

How to build a Hawker Hunter in 2 minutes. In reality, a timelapse video of the assembly of our Hawker Hunter WT619 which took 15 hours over 2 days thanks to the fantastic efforts of the crew from The Royal Air Force Museum, Cosford.

2019 - A Review of Our Year

Happy Hogmanay. Thank you for your support during an exceptionally busy 2019.

Freedom of Angus Parade - Flypast.

To complement our photos of the Freedom of Angus Parade, we also have a video. Glorious sunshine, a military parade, a marching band and a flypast by 2 Typhoon jets. All make for a fantastic Friday afternoon. RAF Lossiemouth Angus Council

Proud of our Volunteers

Volunteers Week Scotland - Day 7 - Let's Celebrate Over the last 7 days we've been extremely proud to celebrate Volunteers Week by highlighting the work of just a handful of our volunteering team. It is the enthusiasm and dedication of our volunteers that is reasonable for the success and growth of the museum. To maintain this success we are always keen to welcome new volunteers and the skills they can bring. If you would like more information please message us or call into the museum. #volunteersweekscot #volunteer #montrose #aviation #volunteersweek www.rafmontrose.org.uk

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Comments

Thanks very much for a great visit on saturday. My kids loved it especially my eldest boy seeing the engine parts. I bought one of your model planes and a small car which you can see in the pic. Thanks again.

I wrote an article about my visit to Montrose Air Station last month and it has been published, with lots of photo's, in the members magazine of the Ulster Aviation Society 😊(www.www.ulsteraviationsociety.org)

Superb place. Went there today. Well worth a visit

I had a superb visit on Saturday 22nd May. I'm a member of the Ulster Aviation Society (www.ulsteraviationsociety.org) which is a very similar organisation and I thought Montrose Air Station was fantastic.

Excellent and very informative displays, knowledgeable and very friendly volunteers (lets hear it for volunteers!!), a great wee gift shop and an easy place to find. I will definitely be back.

And if anyone is visiting Northern Ireland, enquire about a tour of the UAS facility. Tally Ho! :)

I would just like to say a big thank you, to Michael Brewis for his assistance in putting me in touch with Carol Sanders, the lady who had the foresight to put her plan in action for the beautiful poppy wall in the Robertson Building . We down south at the new RAF Hornchurch Heritage Centre https://www.facebook.com/hornchurchaerodrome are planning on having a Remembrance room poppy wall, although on a much smaller scale to that of Montrose, due to the space we have available.
I have included a photograph taken back in 2019 when one of our Trustees John Donovan made a visit to the centre and placed a poppy on the board for Wing Commander Brendan Eamonn Fergus Finucane, DSO, DFC & Two Bars, he was known as 'Paddy' Finucane amongst his fellow RAF colleagues.
The connection between Hornchurch and Montrose is as an acting Pilot Officer (on probation) Brendan was sent to No.8 Flying Training School at RAF Montrose in 1938, before being posted to No.65 Squadron at RAF Hornchurch on 12th July 1940.
We are also lucky enough to have two of Brendan's uniforms that have never been seen together before, as well as his log books and medals, as well as much more from the Finucane family archives which are on permanent loan to us.

Supermarine Spitfire Red Lichtie back in July 2014.

Gloster Meteor T-7 WF825 back in July 2014.

https://www.facebook.com/100244371595093/posts/226079242344938/

Les membres du MIBAC et les administrateurs se joingnent ensemble pour vous souhaiter à toutes et tous une très bonne année 2021.
En espérant que le combat contre cet ennemi invisible nous permettra de réouvrir nos portes et de continuer à faire perdurer la merveilleuse histoire de la base aérienne de Chièvres.
Bonne et heureuse année à tous et encore un énorme merci pour vos soutiens.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The members of MIBAC and the administrators join together in wishing you all a very happy new year 2021.
Hoping that the fight against this invisible enemy will allow us to reopen our doors and continue to perpetuate the wonderful history of the Chièvres air base.
Happy New Year to everyone and again a huge thank you for your support.

My dad served at RAF Montrose.

⭐⭐⭐⭐Competion Update ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

UPDATE 3 Firstly more great news and huge thank you George , Mick, Vickie and Dunstanburgh Castle Hotel for donating the £250 cash for the charity of the winners choice. I am overwhelmed by your kindness and continued support of our Bonnie Montrose book and chosen Charities since 2014. Thank you and in Embleton ###

Update 2 More fantastic News and Thank you Rug Bug Bennys for the £100 voucher. Scott Learmonth and team ### 🥂🍴🍧🥘🌮🍹 You can buy the book from Scott too. ###

Update 1 just received wonderful news that the 2 night stay is now being donated by Links Hotel thanks to Anne Stott and the team. You can buy the book from The Links or Park Hotel Montrose ###

I am honestly blown away by everyone's response to the competition, and all the love and support from around the 🌍🌎🌏

The Links is closed until March 2021, but the winner can choose to stay at their sister hotel Park Hotel Montrose just across the road from them if required before reopening.

Please share and get involved in our wee Competition

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟COMPETITION 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

To say thank you to you all for the love and support of our book Bonnie Montrose by William F McHardy (written in 1899) and our chosen Charities, and for your well wishes due to my recent health, making me cry - I decided a wee competion is in order.

The Prize -
2 night stay Links Hotel or Park Hotel Montrose donated by the hotel, thanks Anne ###,

£250 cash to be sent to YOUR chosen charity. Donated by Dunstanburgh Castle Hotel, Embleton.

£100 Gift Voucher from Rug Bug Bennys
and a wee copy of our book signed by our family x

How to enter....
1 Like our page Bonnie Montrose
2 Buy the book (Bonnie Montrose) in 2020
https://bonniemontrose.co.uk/buy-the-book/

3 Share the Competion
4 Invite your friends to like our page
5 Follow us on Twitter and Instagram if you can.

Probably the easiest competition you will ever enter with all Profits raised still going to British Heart Foundation Cancer Research UK Diabetes UK and a special donation to NHS Lanarkshire nhs.uk after my own recent care in hospital.

Thank you and love you all.

Bob and Family ### 💙📖📗🌍💰💰💰

www.bonniemontrose.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/1801283803221069/posts/4114579578558135/

Is this in your collection?
https://www.facebook.com/1801283803221069/posts/4114579578558135/

Working on our walls today and had to slightly move our BE2
RFC BDAC Old Sarum.

The RAF No.11 Air Sea Rescue Marine Craft Unit Section based in Montrose in 1944

Here are a few of your machines 217/218/207/215/266 & 202.