Angus has been urged to appreciate the heritage gem in its midst after a special reunion at the Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre.
The Broomfield base was Britain’s first operational military airfield and is counting down to the centenary of its establishment by the Royal Flying Corps in 1913.
The heritage centre’s treasure trove of photos and artefacts tell the story of RFC/RAF Montrose through two world wars.
As the collection grows, so too does the regard in which the attraction and the efforts of its volunteers are held.
Last Saturday, the centre staged a special weekend event to mark the end of a Heritage Lottery-funded Young Roots programme involving cadets from Angus and Fife at which visitors were joined by guests from lottery offices at Edinburgh, Angus Council and the ATC.
Young Roots was devised by the Heritage Lottery Fund to get young people interested and involved in their heritage.
The Montrose Air Station project brought together air cadets from Montrose, Auchtermuchty and Dunfermline.
The weekend also drew three VIP visitors to Angus whose proud association with 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron also binds them to the airfield from where the fighter unit’s Spitfires once flew.
Wing Commander Alasdair Beaton, the squadron’s commanding officer from 1999-2007, and Squadron Leader Bruce Blanche, his deputy during that period, know the attraction well and have appreciated watching it develop in recent times.
With them at the weekend was former pilot Joe McCulloch from Maidenhead, Berkshire, one of the men who took the controls of Gloster Meteor WF825, a twin-engined jet fighter which forms part of the Angus collection.
“I heard that the open day was on and thought it would be good to take the chance to come back up to see it,” said Joe. “It was great flying it, and it’s been nice to follow its journey back here where hopefully they can get it back together and on proper display.”
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Wng Cdr Beaton said, “The centre has done a tremendous amount so far and I think they have scope for so much more. Every time I see the centre it gets better.
“They should be congratulated for what they have achieved here because it is an asset for Montrose and any help or finance they can get would be greatly appreciated.
“There is a strong and valuable link between 603 Squadron and Montrose, and with Leuchars also now earmarked for closure this will certainly become a centre of aviation heritage.”
Within the Young Roots programme, each squadron had a very different challenge, with the Auchtermuchty cadets involved in moving a Vampire aircraft from the National Museum of Flight at East Fortune to RAF Leuchars, where it has been in safe keeping until recently when it was transported to Montrose.
The Montrose squadron created a new propeller mounting for the centre’s replica Sopwith Camel.
Angus cadets have also been involved in the restoration of a small biplane which has become the centre’s own Red Baron and will be available for younger visitors to sit in and operate.
The Dunfermline squad-ron designed and built new engine stands from steel fabricated in the workshop equipped with money from the Young Roots grant.
Those are being used to mount the centre’s collection of historic aircraft engines.
Colin McLean, head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Scotland said: “We are thrilled that these young people have taken such an interest in their heritage. Through this project they have made new friends, had great experiences and learned new skills which will be important to them for future employment.”
Heritage centre curator Dr Daniel Paton said, “This story involves local young people involved in constructive activities, contributing to the development of a museum run by volunteers which is developing rapidly as a tourist attraction and educational resource.