“There are a lot of people who say that bombing cannot win the war. My reply to that is that it has never been tried, and we shall see.” (Sir Arthur ‘Bomber’ Harris)
“I do not know with what weapons World War 3 will be fought, but World War 4 will be fought with sticks and stones.” (Albert Einstein)
It’s all a matter of perspective.
I went with my teenage son a few days ago on a trip to the RAF Museum in Cosford, Stafford. This was our second visit in nearly a decade.
When we talked about the idea, he said, “But Dad, isn’t it just all about aircraft and missiles?”
I assured him that this was a well balanced museum with lots of other kinds of RAF displays. But of course, there was no denying it on arrival, he did have a point and that this is where the emphasis lay – on a wide range of large mechanical beasts …. and after all, what would we really expect at an RAF museum?
If Cold War junkies are passing through, they should stop off, not least because one of the Museum’s two hangers is given over to the National Cold War exhibition.
The exhibits and information displays provided us with plenty of food for thought – not least on debates about the defence of the realm.
Its was certainly interesting to compare our trip with the Imperial War Museum in the previous month, where there seemed to be a higher emphasis on not so giant size artefacts.
Here are some of our pictures.
(Featured Image: ‘Rhine Messenger’ German artillery WWII 40 kg rocket)
December 2023
