On the 12th January 2000, the ban on LGBT+ people serving in the British Armed Forces was removed. Before this date, anyone discovered to be gay could be subjected to arrest, interrogation, examination, imprisonment, and dismissal. To commemorate that important day, the RAF Museum has been recording the experiences of those effected by the ban with help from military charity Fighting with Pride and the RAF LGBT+ Network.
Stories from across the globe
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Bomber Command 1939-1945
By mid-1940 the only way for Britain to take the war to the enemy homeland was through the Royal Air Force’s Bomber Command. By 1945, the Command had helped deliver Allied victory, but at what cost? 55,573 of its aircrew were dead, over 8,000 were injured, hundreds of thousands of civilians had perished in Axis (enemy) and Allied bombing raids, and cities across Europe were in ruins.
From an unpromising start, volunteer Bomber Command aircrew faced a nightly battle to complete their assigned raids. Developments in technology and tactics helped increase their chances of survival. With increasing precision, the Command’s attacks on German industrial centres reduced the production of arms, ammunition, material and fuel, almost certainly shortening the war.
Bravo November
The legendary RAF Chinook HC6A ‘Bravo November’ has a distinguished career within the Royal Air Force. It was one of the original 30 Chinooks ordered by the RAF in 1978 and has been in service ever since, serving in every major conflict of the last 40 years. As a veteran of the Falklands, Iraq and Afghanistan, Bravo November has seen four of its pilots awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for actions whilst at the controls of the aircraft. The Chinook will be on public display for the first time ahead of the nation’s Falklands 40 anniversary celebrations commencing 2 April.
40 years of the Chinook
The iconic Boeing CH-47 Chinook entered RAF service on the 22nd November 1980. It has served in every major conflict since The Falklands as a battlefield helicopter, a troop carrier and a flying hospital. It has provided an immeasurable contribution to civilians from The Lebanon to Whaley Bridge.
Across the world countless people owe their lives to this much loved helicopter.
