On this special day, admission to IWM Duxford is free to all visitors. A traditional Service of Remembrance led by Reverend Philip Sharkey will be held at 1pm in the Conservation Hall.
Between 10.30am and 2.30pm in the foyer of AirSpace, visitors can make their own poppies, which can either be worn or attached to a large frieze recreating a First World War Flanders Field.
At 11am, a two-minute silence will be observed across the museum, starting and ending with a whistle blast, in remembrance of the haunting signal to go ‘over the top’ in the trenches during the First World War.
Between 11.30am and 12.30pm in the Land Warfare exhibition, visitors will have the opportunity to chat to Royal Anglian Regiment veterans from the 1st Battalion The Vikings and learn about their experiences in war and conflict.
At 12.30pm, RAF Cadets and Standard Bearers will lead a march accompanied by Sawston Boys and Girls Brigade. The march will start on the Hangar Base in the middle of the museum site and will proceed to the Conservation Hall in preparation for the Service of Remembrance at 1pm. During the service, held by Reverend Philip Sharkey, IWM Duxford’s partner organisations will lay wreaths in honour of the fallen. A choral piece will be performed by In Voco Parentis, the parents’ and friends’ choir of Kings College School.
Following the Service of Remembrance, a historic de Havilland Dragon Rapide aircraft will fly alongside the AirSpace exhibition building and scatter poppy petals in a poignant tribute to the men and women who served at RAF Duxford.
IWM Duxford’s replica memorial church will also be open throughout the day, providing a space for quiet contemplation. The replica memorial church is dedicated to those who lost their lives while serving at RAF Duxford.
From 1pm to 4pm in the Battle of Britain exhibition, members of the IWM Duxford masterplanning team will be chatting about Duxford’s past, present and future. Drop in and join one of our short historic tours between 2.30pm and 3.30pm.
There will also be a memorial trail around the museum, exploring the many different ways in which war and conflict are commemorated. The trail focusses on a range of memorials at IWM Duxford’s historic site that honour individual people, sections of the Armed Forces and historic military campaigns.
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