Air Transport Auxiliary Exhibition & Archive

[Larry]

A permanent exhibition and archive for the ATA has been set up at the Maidenhead Heritage Centre, 18 Park Street, Maidenhead, Berks SL6 1SL, which is well worth a visit.

The centre even has a Spitfire simulator in a full size cockpit with all the proper controls and its great fun to fly for a small fee.

It's amazing to think that some ATA pilots had one leg, or one arm, or one eye and still flew many different RAF types to and from RAF units mostly on their own without any radio or nav aids. It's therefore important that their story is told as a tribute to their efforts and in memory of the 173 men and women who died while with the ATA.

See www.grandmaflewspitfires.org

Lastly he centre is also on the look out for any ATA related photos and material; especially ATA log books or copies of the same, so please help if you can.

[SteveB]

Some years ago I was told that there was ATA archive material (especially flight logs) held at the Bristol Industrial Museum which came from the ATA operation at the old Whitchurch airfield. I did make an effort to investigate this possibility for my informer and spoke to somebody at the Museum who, at the time, seemed quite reluctant to say "yes here it is" but did not actually deny that they held some stuff. I felt afterwards that I had not been sufficiently persistent in pursuing the issue.

Steve