Military History Tours Australia          Bomber Command and RAAF in the UK 1939 - 1945

Bomber Command and RAAF in the UK 1939 - 1945

Join this heritage tour to the sites in the UK where our RAAF Squadrons served as they flew those dangerous missions over Europe. 27^th June to 10^th July 2012.

*464 changed role in July 1943

In Australia we commemorate the selfless deeds of our soldiers through the two World Wars as they fought and died for freedom. Places such as Pozieres, Villers-Bretonneux, Passchendaele, Tobruk, Crete and Kokoda are names well known and steeped in history. There was another campaign, well away from Australia’s shores where the casualties were greater than all those well known battles, the RAAF in the UK, 1939-1945 suffered a 51% casualty rate.

We intend to ensure that the efforts by the RAAF in that conflict are not forgotten as they are not forgotten by many a French Historian who thank Australia for coming to France’s aid in her hours of need, in 1916-1918 on the ground and in 1939-1945 in the air. Australia had 14 Squadrons operating from UK sites against Germany and also many of our airman flew with RAF Squadrons. A great number of the airfields from where they left on those missions remain to this day. Missions that many failed to return from, and in many cases the airfield from where they had left was the last place known to them. 

This is a tour developed for the very special purpose that we hope will, in a small way, ensure that this part of Australia’s history is not forgotten. From our research, we believe that this tour was never been offered before in Australia until our first such tour in 2010. Again we will visit many of the old airfields that remain, the museums that hold the planes of that period and may even witness the flight of some of those historical planes flown by our airman all those years ago. Together we will meet the local dignitaries who maintain that military heritage and pay our respects at the resting places of those of our fallen who are interred in the UK.

Some of the areas that we are programmed to visit include: Elvington, Home-on-Spalding Moor, Aston Down, Coningsby, Coddington, Breighton, Sutton Veny, Scampton, Duxford, St Clement Danes Church and more. The tour is geographically planned that enables us to respond to specific sites and requests from those travelling with us.

Once we have received your booking, we will request from you information concerning any specific areas that may be important for you to visit. This may be an airfield from which you or members of your family had operated from or another site of equal importance.

From past experience, visits to these sites are of significant interest to all members of our touring parties and tend to bring that personal touch to all on tour.

Australia’s most costly single campaign of the war was the air offensive over Europe.

Costs: 14 days/13 nights. Based on share twin or share double $(AU)4,995 per person.
Single Supplement additional cost $(AU)1,300.

Included in this price:

• Accommodation,
• Airfield and Museum visitations,
• Special memorial services,
• air conditioned coaches,
• Air Show entrance,
• transfers,
• Meals as indicated in the itinerary B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner.

Not included in this price:

• Air travel to/from Australia,
• travel insurance,
• laundry and alcohol,
• tour extensions, &
• personal expenses.

Itinerary

Please note: This itinerary has been prepared on a geographical basis to cover areas in the UK where the Australian Squadrons were based and from where they set off on their various missions. There were also many RAAF men and women attached to RAF Squadrons and establishments in various other locations in the UK. It is hoped that by having a programme as broad as appears below, there is the flexibility to visit specific sites that are of special interest to those on tour.

Therefore, following information provided by those on tour, prior to us leaving Australia, the actual sites that are currently listed may be replaced by sites as requested by those on tour or even added to those sites already detailed. Military History Tours endeavors to comply with all special location requests and from past experience, visits to these sites are of significant interest to all members of our touring parties and tend to bring that personal touch to all on tour.

If you had seen our previous itineraries you will notice that there are some changes from our 2011 itinerary that we believe will improve the tour experience.

Further significant contacts in the UK during the 2011 tour, including the opportunity to actually go gliding from one of the WW2 airfields and access to an operational airfield, has enabled the changes detailed in the new itinerary.

We continually strive to improve what are our excellent tours.

27 June 2012 - LONDON: Tour guests arrive at Heathrow Airport and make their way to our hotel in the airport precinct. The remainder of the day and evening is free to relax and meet other guests. Dinner in our hotel. D

28 June 2012 - LONDON: After breakfast in our hotel we will visit St Clement Danes Church, the RAF Church, to view the new Memorial to the Spitfire. We will then move to Hyde Park and conduct a small Memorial Service at the Australian Memorial. B/D

29 June 2012 – LONDON to SALISBURY : After breakfast at the hotel, coaches will depart for Salisbury, the first of our location bases. We will stay three nights here as we cover the general area as there were quite a few airfields in the vicinity. On the way we will Dunsfold Airfield at Cranleigh, Middle Wallop (456 Sqn) and enjoy lunch in our first country pub. A stop at The Air Force Memorial at Runnymeade will allow us to pay our respects to those who were lost. B/D

30 June 2012 - SALISBURY: Today we stay in the vicinity of Salisbury and we will visit Mere/Zeals and Sutton Veny where there were airfields during the war. The tower and concrete holding area at Mere is still in place and nearby there is a Memorial to a group lost when their Dakota crashed. B/D

1 July 2012 – SALISBURY: We will stay in the south west today and visit some of the locations that were most important during those hectic days of the Battle of Britain. The Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton will be visited as there are many very interesting airplanes displayed over quite a big area. Lunch may be taken at the museum or we may find a quiet country pub for a ploughman’s lunch. Prior to the Museum we will visit famous Shaftsbury for its annual Mediaeval Fair. B/D

2 July 2012 – SALISBURY to WOLVERHAMPTON: On the way to Wolverhampton we will visit Leighterton, where our WW1 airman trained and a few remain in the Commonwealth War Grave Cemetery there. The church in the village conducts an ANZAC Day Service each year and there is an ANZAC corner within the Church. We will have lunch with the Cotswold Gliding Club at Aston Down and there may be an opportunity to be taken up in a glider with an instructor. B/D

3 July 2012 – WOLVERHAMPTON to YORK: Heading towards York we will visit Shifnal and the RAF Cosford Museum before moving on to RAF Snaith. At Snaith there is an incredible memorial to those who were lost flying from this airfield. On arrival in York we have some free time to visit this special town. B/D

4 July 2012 - YORK: Today we visit Elvington where there is a good museum collection on an old WW2 airfield that has been preserved as it was when the war ended. The rest of the day is reserved for special visits should any be needed or free time in York. B/D

5 July 2012 – YORK to LINCOLN: Turning south towards Lincoln we will pass through Home on Spalding Moor where there is a special memorial to 458 Sqn and we will conduct a small service at the memorial. We then visit Binbrook, home of 460 Sqn and we visit RAF Newark where there is an excellent Aviation Heritage Museum. B/D

6 July 2012 - LINCOLN to BEDFORD: Much to see as we head further south. Coningsby (home of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight), East Kirkby (Lancaster) and an operational airfield at RAF Syverston. B/D

7 July 2012 – BEDFORD: After breakfast at the hotel, our coach will depart for Biggleswade where we will view the Shuttleworth Collection. Leaving Biggleswade we make our way to Tempsford a secret airfield from where the flights to Europe to drop agents and supplies to the resistance groups flew. We will join the local Veteran Community at the Local Church for their Annual Commemorative Service. B/D

8 July 2012 – BEDFORD: Today is a very full day for us as we venture to Duxford for the airshow and visit to that special museum. This is the day where we hope to see many of those old planes flying including the Lancaster Bomber, Spitfires and Hurricanes and more. Following this excellent day we will return to our hotel for a well deserved drink before dinner in our hotel. B/D

9 July 2012 - BEDFORD to LONDON: Following a leisurely breakfast, we head down towards London and call into our last excellent Museum, RAF Hendon. This will be a fitting conclusion to our specialized museum visitation programme and we will see aircraft from 1900 up to present times. The display of First World War machines is very extensive and has all of those old combat aircraft.

Tonight we stay in London and that will allow an evening to relax, maybe in one of London’s old pubs or even attend one of the shows in the East End for the time is yours to enjoy. This will be our last official activity and the rest of the day is yours to enjoy. B/D

10 July 2012 - LONDON: Today, after breakfast, your tour ends. B

Please Note: Due to matters outside our control, there may be times when we will change from our proposed itinerary. It is our intention to conduct a briefing each evening to set in place the following day’s visitation programme.

Use the buttons above to request more information, or download the registration form for this tour.

The video above shows what we saw at Duxford in 2010, be with us for Duxford 2012.