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Bedford
Aeronautical Heritage Group
BAHG is run by a small team of former employees. Its principal asset is
the archive described below.
The Team
Mike Dobson; Peter England; Reg Harlow; Tony Manning;
Ken Moreton; Barry Moulang; Gerry Shanks; Barry Tomlinson;
Nick Cooke.
The Archive
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Part of the Archive |
The archive managed by the Group consists mainly of photographic
material but is being progressively augmented with RAE reports and other
papers.
The photographic archive consists of about 70 000 negatives (glass plate
to 35mm) dating from 1955 together with about 2000 movie films (16mm and
35mm) depicting aspects of the research undertaken. We are fortunate to
have many of the original photographers’ record books listing the subject
of the photos and the date taken.
There are also many hundreds of loose prints, particularly of the early
construction period in the 1950s. We are busy listing these.
What are we doing with all this? Our first step was to assess the
negatives for quality and content, and to document this review. Many of
the best pictures feature in the book
Wings Over Thurleigh, and are
also used to illustrate our talks.
We have also viewed a high proportion of the movies, again to assess
quality and content.
We have a near-complete collection of RAE News from 1957 onwards,
but with significant gaps from 1952-56. Fortunately our colleagues at FAST
have a complete set and have scanned all the early issues, for the period
1948 - 1962.
We encourage enquiries from anyone interested to research the work
of RAE Bedford. Copies of photographs can also be supplied on request, for
a modest charge.
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An
early photo - building the 8ftx8ft tunnel - May 1953 |
One way in which we are adding to the archive is to scan Log Books from
former test pilots and observers.
The information these contain can add significantly to our knowledge of
the research undertaken.
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