Davidstow a village in Cornwall with a humungous cheese making facillity churning out tons of Cheddar cheese every week , and very very tasty scrumtiois cheese it is too, full flavoured and nutty, slightly creamy slightly crumbly, perfect for cheese and beans on toast, perfect for cheese, chips and gravy. Just perfect.
But we aint here to talk cheese. This post has absolutely nothing to do with cheese. It just so happens that the facility was built on the old RAF base.
The Cornwall at War Museum itself was opened in 2007 founded on a privately funded, non-profit basis. it showcases thousands of wartime artefacts sourced from all over the globe as well as locally; housed in a number of restored buildings
It is not your usual boring type of museum, where all the exhibits are neatly arranged on shelf after shelf in glass cabinets. random is a good word for this place. I loved it.
RAF Davidstow Moor in Cornwall built in 1941 and in use between 1942 and 1945, as part of the UK's Coastal Command, whose main deployment was the protection of allied shipping convoys from attack by German U boats and the Luftwaffe. It was also a staging post for American and Canadian bomber crews preparing for the D-Day invasions.
Upon closure at the war's end most of the buildings and infrastructure were removed, during the 1950's the airfield was used as a motor racing circuit and actually hosted three F1 grand prix.
After paying the £7 entrance fee, you are handed a self guiding map (unless you visit on a Thursday for a guided tour) and allowed to wander at ones own leisure, following the directions from Room No.1 to Room 21, end your visit and return the map to the ticket office. Simples
Start the tour by entering "The Roxy Cinema", and sit through a film about 25 mins long not really about the airfield in action more a bit of a vanity project just featuring the owner and how he has built up the museum, I got bored to be honest after about 10 minutes and went snapping
The lights came on and that was that
An original German Reichskriegsflagge flown on the ships of the mighty Kriegsmarine between 1935 and 1945.
I first read My Struggle back in the 70's, I found it interesting and it offered up a different view of the outcomes of the Versailles Treaty, in which Germany suffered ridiculous punitive measures. It was poorly written, or crappily translated though to be honest making it a difficult read.
Memories of a local man. HMS Hood a battle cruiser of the British Navy that was sunk in an epic sea battle in the Denmark Strait, an attempt to sink the Bismark; Germany's biggest warship and along with her sister ship the Tirpiz, the biggest at that time ever built.
What a magnificent fleet that was, comprising around 1,400 vessels, now defence is vastly under funded and the navy comprises just 90 vessels, not all of which are warships or sea worthy.
"Hello lovely, I think your stockings have seen better days, you are lucky to own so many pairs".
During WW2 there was a scarcity in seductive lingerie as the silk and nylon used was diverted to war supplies, women had to take to rubbing gravy browning on their legs to give an appearance of said garments, now that would be tasty. It would certainly bring a new meaning to the slogan "Ah! Bisto"
That's a bit harsh
There were quite a few mannequins throughout to give "effect", I am not so sure that it works
The Anson was applied to several ships through time, the last being a battleship that served mainly in the Artic area during WW2, broken up for scrap metal in the 1950's
Happier days, when the NHS worked, when the indigenous population could actually get an NHS dentist, or get to see their GP.
From experience I can tell you these were very strong smokes, not as good as Capstan Full Strength, but still hit the back of your throat every drag. Annoyingly though was getting bits of baccy in ya mouth as they were unfiltered.
"Don't panic Mr Mainwaring!", Dad's Army, a BBC TV programme that ran for nine years from 1968, regularly watched by 18 million viewers, a time when comedy was funny. it was a parody about The Home Guard, a rag tag bunch of defence volunteers to protect the Uk from invasion, there were over 1.5 million in its ranks made up of the too young, the too feeble and the too old, uniformed and often without weapons, they did their bit I guess.
Plastic modelling kits a popular toy from my childhood, but to be honest I found them too fiddly and messy, the glue smelt nice though.
Someone must have the patience of a saint to complete this lot, all painted up too, mine were all basic grey as mater and pater would not allow me paints in case I spilt it on the furniture. Such a deprived upbringing.
Innocent times, happier times.
At the outbreak of WW2 millions of children were evacuated from major cities to the countryside to escape bombings: some found loving homes.
However reports published show that up to 15% thats about 300,000 suffered abuse, be it physical, sexual or emotional neglect at the hands of their host families who viewed them as cheap labor and treated them as outcasts. The evacuation was voluntary no one was forced BUT hosting them was compulsory.
Families living in rural "reception areas" with spare room were legally required to take in assigned evacuees. Those that tried to refuse the mandate were subject to punitive measures. hence the resentment. Children had returned back to the cities by the end of 1946, those that had lost their families and home were if they were lucky absorbed into the host family through adoption. The flipside was a lot ended up in orphanages.
Pomp and circumstance
Mrs bloody windsor, I love how that odious family always presented themselves with medals of valour, when they actually did fuck all.
I wonder how many acidents there have been sitting down in the wrong place at the wrong time, mistakenly thinking of a butt plug
Some repro recruitment posters
and some smokin ladies
The golden age of motor racing was just starting, Davidstow was a circuit that hosted races from 1952-55, including three F1 Grand Prix. £600 prize money!
F1, is now really dead killed off by the eco agenda and the introduction of stupid battery power. As Max V said it is now like plying "Mario Kart"
R.I.P. F1 2026
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I absolutely love these photos
Love it ❤️ and this place ❤️
I never imagined a cheddar factory could share a runway with World War II pilots and even a few Grand Prix cars. The idea of F1 engines roaring over the same tarmac where bombers once flew is a bit like hearing your's accountant joking about numbers while balancing cheese wheels. Seeing that mix of history makes me wish my own ledger could carry a bit of that ADmin excitement, it's' a nice reminder that even the most serious stuff can have a quirky side :)
They stole our cheddar!!!!
The museum looks like one I visited recently in Lithuania, but that one was full of KGB stuff
I have never been to Davidstow or visited the 'Cornish War Museum', but Davidstow is my favourite Cheddar cheese, and more of it is produced in Davidstow than anywhere else in the UK.
Besides being able to eat good cheese, you can also appreciate a bit of history; those are the things that make a town enchanting.
!discovery
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Amazing, @grindle
Thanks for sharing them.