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GOOD NEWS
. Exciting plans are afoot to create a Battle of Britain Heritage Trail (affectionately known as the 'BoB TRAIL') available to local interest groups, youth groups, schools and other interested individuals/parties. Further details are below, but in a nutshell, the tour will describe how the World's first integrated air defence system (the 'DOWDING SYSTEM') operated by visiting three key sites in the 'DOWDING TRIANGLE': i.e. Bentley Priory (former Fighter Command HQ), Uxbridge (former 11 Group Bunker) and Northolt (former 11 Group Sector Airfield including the original Sector Operations Control Room) representing respectively the Command, Group and Sector elements of the Battle of Britain. The tour can be rounded off by a visit to the Battle of Britain Memorial in Central London, where the names of the 2,936 pilots and ground crews from Britain and the 14 other Allied countries involved in the Battle can be found. THE
BAD NEWS
People deserve to know that this building is about to be demolished and what it stands for. We are convinced that a BOB Trail as described in the attached leaflet would be highly popular among schools, youth groups and local interest groups. I appreciate that there are money issues involved (and time is money) but if we cannot save the building in situ then the Chiltern Open Air Museum in Chalfont have expressed an interest to take the building - and create part of the ‘BoB Trail’ there. At least it would then be open to the public. If that were to happen, we need to raise funds quickly in order to finance the move. One suggestion would be for members of the public to be given the opportunity of 'buying/sponsoring' a brick/s or roof tiles/door frames/windows etc so that the building is in effect 'jointly owned' by supporters. Everyone
would receive a certificate of sponsorship together with a potted history
of why the building is so important to our national heritage.
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Illustrated details of the Battle of Britain Trail in Adobe reader format . |
Concerned
supporters are encouraged to write to the following MP's to express their
feelings on the preservation of RAF Northolt's Heritage and also to local
and national press and local MP's:
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Rt Hon Des Browne MP The Secretary of State for Defence is the Cabinet Minister charged with making and executing Defence policy, and with providing the means by which it is executed, the Armed Forces. He is Chairman of the Defence Council and of its three Boards, (the Admiralty Board, the Army Board and the Air Force Board). Minister of State
for the Armed Forces -
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Minister of State for the Armed Forces MOD Ministerial Correspondence Unit 5th Floor, Zone A Main Building Whitehall, London SW1A 2HB |
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Tessa Jowell Tessa Jowell. Born in London and was educated at St Margaret's School in Aberdeen and the universities of Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Goldsmith's, London. She is a visiting fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford. |
Department for Culture, Media and Sport 2-4 Cockspur Street London SW1Y 5DH |
