Never doubt the power of the Throne

BY COL. WALKER "BUD" MAHURIN, USAF (RET.)

Because their history extends over a much longer period than that of the United States, many European countries have superb museums with artifacts accumulated through thousands of years. Although excellent museums exist in the U.S., they are not as plentiful as those in the old countries and perhaps do not get as much government support as European museums do. For example, in England, a National Trust exists that accumulates money from lotteries and then donates funds to either build or sustain a wide variety of historical objects. These various historic items require considerable funding, but because they represent the heritage of the British Empire, the government supports them.

A wonderful example of this is at an old RAF air base in Duxford, just outside Cambridge. Duxford is of great interest to the thousands of American aviators who flew against the Germans during WW II because one of the famous 8th Air Force Fighter Groups was stationed there during the War.

After the War, there was little evidence that Americans had been based at Duxford, but interest in establishing an American Air Museum alongside the existing RAF facilities was gradually aroused. Subsequently, I was asked to help raise funds for this museum, and the effort to do so was quite successful.

In August 1997, I was invited to the museum's grand opening ceremony at Duxford. The Queen of England was to attend. There would be an airshow with a reception for the invited guests, and a whole host of dignitaries would be on hand to cheer the Air Museum's debut.

On the day of the festivities, a great crowd gathered to watch a parade of limousines deliver their passengers. While my wife, Joan, went to freshen up, I waited in an anteroom. As Joan emerged from the ladies' lounge, she was following Margaret Thatcher, the former Prime Minister of England, who was wearing a lovely broadbrimmed hat. I whispered to Joan who the lady was, and she exclaimed, "My God! I didn't know that. I had a long conversation with her in the ladies room and congratulated her on her hat. She seemed just like everyone else!"

As we walked across the airfield to the area where several British aircraft were being restored, the sound of a band playing told us that the festivities were under way. After a while, a member of the museum staff asked us to come inside the museum because they wanted us to stand in front of a restored P-47 that was now on display. When the Queen and her entourage passed by, each exhibited aircraft was to have on hand those of us who had either flown its type during the War or been involved in its restoration.

Eventually, the Queen came by the P-47. She approached us while holding out her gloved hand, which I shook while I introduced my wife and myself. I mentioned that I had met her at Buckingham Palace when she was 16 years old. I recollected for her the question she had asked me at the time: "What aircraft do you fly?" I had replied that I flew the P-47-just like the one we were standing in front of now-and she had replied, "It looks like a big bottle!" I explained that that was why we in the Air Force called it a "Jug." We talked for several minutes, and I directed her attention to the machine guns sticking out of the wing so I could describe the difference between the Spitfire and the P-47.

I also mentioned that I heard occasionally from German aircrew members who had flown aircraft I had shot down. This seemed to surprise her. I could tell that she was very interested in the aircraft and in the museum-probably because it is a part of the Imperial War Museum, a direct responsibility of the royal family's.

It has been five years since the opening of the American Air Museum in England, and there is to be another celebration to commemorate the event. Fundraising efforts are being directed to the restoration of a B-24, and there are continuing efforts to expand the displays at the airfield and the museum. Americans can be proud of the voluntary contributions that have been made, and we can be especially proud of the attention paid to the Memorial by the British. All this is evidence of the worldwide interest in aviation and the contributions it has made to world events.

Copyright Air Age Publishing Dec 2002
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