About
Tangmere Military Aviation Museum stands on the site of the former RAF Tangmere, one of the most famous fighter stations in the history of the Royal Air Force and a place whose name is inseparable from the Battle of Britain, the air war over southern England, and the wider story of British military aviation in the twentieth century. Located in the flat coastal plain between Chichester and the sea, the museum occupies the last surviving buildings of an airfield that played a central role in the defence of Britain during both World Wars.
RAF Tangmere was established in 1917 as a training station for the Royal Flying Corps and grew rapidly during the interwar years into one of Fighter Command's most important sector stations. During the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940, Tangmere was at the sharp end of the air defence of southern England — its Hurricanes and Spitfires scrambling daily to intercept Luftwaffe bombers and fighters crossing the Channel. The station was itself heavily bombed on 16 August 1940 in one of the most devastating attacks on any RAF base during the battle, with hangars destroyed, aircraft wrecked on the ground, and personnel killed. The museum tells this story with the intensity and detail it deserves, using personal accounts, photographs, artefacts, and operational records that bring the desperate summer of 1940 vividly to life.
The museum's aircraft collection includes examples spanning the history of military aviation from the early twentieth century to the jet age. While the collection is not as large as some national aviation museums, the aircraft on display are chosen for their connection to Tangmere's history and to the broader story of RAF fighter operations in southern England. The collection includes both complete aircraft and significant components, engines, and recovered wreckage from crashed wartime aircraft found in the Sussex countryside.
Douglas Bader, the legendary legless fighter pilot who became one of the most famous figures of the Battle of Britain, was based at Tangmere and led the Tangmere Wing during 1941. The museum devotes significant attention to Bader's story — his pre-war flying accident, his determination to return to operational flying despite the loss of both legs, his combat record, his capture, and his multiple escape attempts from German prisoner-of-war camps. The Bader connection gives Tangmere a human narrative of courage and determination that resonates far beyond the technical history of aviation.
Tangmere also has a remarkable connection to the world of speed records. In 1946 and 1953, world air speed records were set from Tangmere's runway, with specially modified aircraft screaming along the Sussex coast at speeds that pushed the boundaries of what was then technically possible. The 1946 record was set by Group Captain Edward Donaldson in a Gloster Meteor at 616 mph, while the 1953 record saw Neville Duke achieve 727.6 mph in a Hawker Hunter — both records that captured the public imagination and demonstrated Britain's leadership in jet aviation technology.
The museum also covers Tangmere's secret wartime role as a base for clandestine operations — the Special Operations Executive used the station to fly agents in and out of occupied France, with Lysander aircraft making dangerous night landings on improvised airstrips behind enemy lines. This shadowy chapter adds a dimension of espionage and covert warfare to the museum's already rich narrative.
Run entirely by volunteers and funded through admission charges and donations, Tangmere Military Aviation Museum is a labour of love that preserves an important chapter in Britain's military history with passion, expertise, and a deep personal connection to the airfield and the people who served there.
Categories:
Highlights
Battle of Britain Gallery
The centrepiece of the museum's displays, this gallery tells the story of RAF Tangmere's crucial role during the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940 — when the station's Hurricanes and Spitfires scrambled daily to intercept Luftwaffe raids crossing the Channel. Personal accounts from pilots and ground crew, original artefacts, maps showing the daily pattern of interceptions, and photographs of the devastating German bombing raid on the airfield on 16 August 1940 bring this desperate and decisive chapter of the war vividly to life.
The gallery conveys both the strategic importance of the battle and the intensely personal experience of the young men who fought it.
Douglas Bader: The Tangmere Connection
Douglas Bader, the legless fighter ace who became one of the most famous figures of the Second World War, was based at Tangmere and led the Tangmere Wing during 1941. The museum devotes a dedicated display to Bader's extraordinary story — his pre-war flying accident and the loss of both legs, his determination to return to operational flying, his combat career, his capture after being shot down over France, and his repeated escape attempts from German captivity.
Personal memorabilia, photographs, and accounts from those who served alongside him create an intimate portrait of a man whose courage and stubbornness became a national symbol of defiance.
World Air Speed Records
Tangmere holds a unique place in aviation history as the airfield from which two world air speed records were set. In 1946 Group Captain Edward Donaldson achieved 616 mph in a Gloster Meteor, and in 1953 Neville Duke reached 727. 6 mph in a Hawker Hunter — both records that demonstrated Britain's post-war leadership in jet aviation technology and captured the imagination of a nation still recovering from the austerity of wartime.
The museum displays memorabilia, models, and film footage from both record attempts, conveying the excitement and danger of pushing aircraft to the absolute limits of their performance along the flat Sussex coastline.
Special Operations Executive — Secret Flights
During the Second World War, Tangmere served as a base for some of the most dangerous and secret operations of the conflict — flying agents of the Special Operations Executive in and out of occupied France. Lysander aircraft, chosen for their ability to land and take off from short improvised strips, made perilous night flights across the Channel to deliver and collect agents operating behind enemy lines.
The museum explores this clandestine chapter with the discretion and gravity it deserves, using declassified documents, personal accounts, and equipment to reveal an aspect of Tangmere's wartime role that remained classified for decades after the war.
Collections
Battle of Britain: Tangmere at War
The principal gallery telling the story of RAF Tangmere's crucial role during the Battle of Britain, the 1940 bombing raids, and the wider air war over southern England — with personal accounts, artefacts, and operational records from the station.
Speed Record Hall
Dedicated display covering the world air speed records set from Tangmere in 1946 and 1953, with models, memorabilia, and film footage from both record attempts that made Tangmere synonymous with the frontier of jet aviation.
The Hall of Memory
A commemorative space honouring the men and women who served at RAF Tangmere and those who lost their lives in service from the station — with rolls of honour, personal tributes, and items donated by families.
Current Exhibitions
An oral history exhibition featuring recorded interviews with veterans who served at RAF Tangmere, accompanied by personal photographs, letters, and memorabilia — preserving firsthand accounts of life on this famous fighter station before living memory fades.