Getting close to history’

A DISAPPOINTING number of visitors turned out for Bassingbourn Tower Museum's open day at the weekend - but it has not discouraged curator Chris Murphy.

He said about 100 people went to the museum at Bassingbourn Barracks during the two-day event, compared to more than 500 the previous year.

"The weather didn't help us at all," he said.

"It was not the kind of day when people would be thinking about walking around an airfield."

But he said he was determined to continue having such events at the museum.

"It was encouraging, however, to see so many young people come to the museum," he said.

"It's important that they learn about history and the part that Bassingbourn played in the Second World War."

A documentary on the iconic Memphis Belle was screened in one of the remaining large hangars on the site.

"People were able to learn about the Memphis Belle and its missions during the war - and were in the actual building where it had stood. It gave people the chance to get close to history," said Mr Murphy.

There was also a display of Second World War vehicles which arrived during the weekend.

And the weekend proved a sentimental journey for Howard Keetch, a member of a living history group in Portsmouth who travelled to Bassingbourn, where during the war, he had an American relative who had served with the 324th Bomb Squadron, part of the 91st Heavy Bomb Group based there.

It was from the airfield that the USAAF Flying Fortress' were involved in missions over occupied Europe and Germany.

- The museum has set up tours of the museum for groups which are more detailed than usual visit days.

The museum is open on Wednesdays and Sundays from 10am-4pm.

- For more details contact the museum on 01763 243500, or e-mail towermuseum121@btinternet.com or visit the website at www.towermuseumbassingbourn.co.uk