On episode 19, Julie & Art visit the Trenchard Museum RAF Halton near Wendover England.  

Trenchard Museum RAF Halton

On the grounds of the Royal Air Force Base of Halton Camp in Aylesbury England, the Trenchard Museum offers a collection of exhibits with a myriad of artifacts from the Trenchard Apprentice Program.  A visit here rewards you with views of aircraft, cockpits, aero engines, models and memorabilia which illustrate life, training and notable events in the aircraft apprentice history.  

This visit was planned by Art to trace the steps of his dad, Bolesław Dobrucki, who arrived at RAF Halton from a Polish Refugee camp in the Middle East with several hundred very young Polish boys in 1943.  

We discuss the exhibits on display at the Trenchard Museum and the museum archives.  Learn about the unique story of the Polish aircraft apprentices who trained at RAF Halton between 1943 through 1948.  We highlight this specific history and discuss the several exhibits at the museum that serve the memory of the young Polish apprentices who trained at this facility.

The book, “Survivors of War: One Family's Struggle Through World War II” by Dan Dobrucki and Walerian Joseph Dobrucki proved to be a helpful resource that was used to identify this destination for our UK itinerary.

Virginia Cherrill

We discuss the role of Hollywood Actress Virginia Cherrill, aka Lady Jersey, as the Honorary Guardian of the Polish apprentices at RAF Halton during WWII.  

While difficult to find, the book Młodociani Lotnicy: Historia Lotniczych Szkół Małoletnich Halton Cranwell Wielka Brytania (History of the Polish Aircraft Apprentices at RAF Stations Halton and Cranwell 1943-1948), is an invaluable resource to learn more about the band of several hundred Polish boys who apprenticed at RAF Halton.  This history was authored by Stefan Arkadiusz Petruswicz.

Our food stop highlight during this trip is Rumsey's Chocolateria and Coffee Shop in Wendover.  This location offers the creations of master chocolatier Nigel Rumsey who has been creating an exquisite range of award-winning hand-made chocolates since 1991.  We had one of our most enjoyable lunch meals during our UK trip at this coffee shop.

Travel Resources

We consulted “DK Eyewitness Travel Guide Great Britain” for identifying specific attractions to include during our trip.  The book was helpful to identify walking tours, museums, as well as providing days and times that specific places are open to visit.  We recommend purchasing a book similar to this one when planning a longer trip.

We hope this episode inspire you to consider this historical gem off the beaten path as part of your UK travels.

You’ll find our blog posts on our day trip excursion to the sights discussed on this episode at the link below:

Blog post for Visiting the Trenchard Museum RAF Halton

Which attractions will you explore on a trip to the UK?   

Podcast: The Places Where We Go Podcast is released every other week in your favorite podcast app along as well as on our website at www.theplaceswherewego.com

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Julie & Art