The RAF Chivenor Collection

One of the most popular collections in our care is the RAF Chivenor Collection. The military base next to the river Taw has been a part of North Devon life for over 70 years and many locals have fond memories of the base. Our collection covers the history of Chivenor as an aerodrome and airport …

Rescuing the Rescuers!

Preparing for this year's Armed Forces exhibition I came across this story about the Air Sea Rescue Helicopter from RAF Chivenor whose crew had a lucky escape... Waving boys saw sudden blue flash Four schoolboys waved to a passing helicopter above Bideford Bridge on Tuesday night, and in the same second there was a vivid …

Behind the Scenes…Shelving Project part two

Monday was the big day for the shelving project as the installers arrived with the new shelving early in the morning. By mid morning one side was completed and the other under way and looking very smart and by lunchtime it was all done! All that was left for us to do was to clean …

An Unusual Landing At Chivenor

Tonight marks the 75th anniversary of a rather unusual landing at RAF Chivenor. During the Second World War, RAF Chivenor was part of Coastal Command and it was their job to find and destroy the U Boats which posed a constant threat to the naval supply lines. During a night-time training exercise on th 26th …