News & competitions

Header Image: Hawker Hurricane Mk IIBs of 151 Wing RAF at Vaenga, near Murmansk in the USSR, in September 1941.

Eighty years ago, on 7th September 1941, as part of Operation Benedict, 24 Mk IIB Hurricanes of 81 and 134 Squadrons were flown off the aircraft carrier HMS Argus to land at the Soviet airfield at Vaenga (now Severomorsk), a few miles north-east of Murmansk in the northern USSR, to provide reinforcements for the Soviet fighter defences. (Germany had invaded Russia on 22nd June 1941.) Another 15 Hurricanes in crates, along with 2,600 RAF personnel, were delivered by sea to Archangelsk by the first Arctic Convoy. These Hurricanes were assembled, in primitive conditions, in just nine days and were flown to Vaenga on 12th September.

Header Image: Spitfire Mk IX MJ271 G-IRTY – the round-the-world Spitfire – arrived at Coningsby on 22nd July. (Photo: Crown Copyright)

The BBMF had a special visitor and an extra aircraft with which to surprise members of the public on tours of the BBMF hangar between 22nd July and 13th August.

Header Image: The crowd of members and their guests gathering at a previous BBMF Members’ Day at RAF Coningsby. Fingers crossed for weather like this on 25th September. (Photo: Crown Copyright)

Our Members’ Day tickets can be found here: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/battle-of-britain-memorial-flight-club

Please note: The RAF Memorial Flight Official Club have been allocated 700 tickets which we expect to sell out quickly. Due to the limitation on numbers, the event will be oversubscribed and is therefore offered as a bonus opportunity for members rather than as a guaranteed benefit of membership. We are sorry for any disappointment if you are unable to secure tickets this year.