Jet Age Museum in Gloucester, is holding a ‘Battle of Britain Weekend’ event for family, friends and aviation fans. Jet Age Museum is home of the Gloucestershire’s aviation heritage from the early days of flight, through the birth of the Jet Age to the present day. Free admission and parking and there’s a cafe and shop on site too. Come and learn about our aviation heritage and achievements and our part in the Battle of Britain.

There will be a film tribute to Gloucestershire’s own Battle of Britain fighter squadron. No 501 (County of Gloucester) squadron served throughout the Battle flying the Hawker Hurricane fighters.  International Plastic Modellers Gloucester branch will be there doing modelling demonstrations and will have a wide range of models from World War 2 and other eras available. Also Dave Partridge re-enactment Group with Royal Air Force and Battle of Britain focussed displays.

Although Gloster Gladiators helped defend Plymouth during the desperate days of 1940 when Britain and her Commonwealth stood alone against Nazi Germany, the Gloster Aircraft Company was already building Hawker Hurricanes.

Gloster had joined the Hawker-Siddeley group of companies in 1934 when Hawker’s Chief Designer Sydney Camm was producing a range of fast, light biplane fighters and bombers.

The Hawker Hurricane was the natural progression from such biplanes as the Hawker Hart and Fury and easier to build than the more modern stressed skin Supermarine  Spitfire.  Hawker Hurricanes outnumbered Spitfires in the  Battle  of Britain and would account for more enemy aircraft than all other defending aircraft and anti- aircraft  guns combined.

Gloster Aircraft would go on to build 2 750 Hawker Hurricanes before moving on to Sydney Camm’s Hawker  Typhoon