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A
short and incomplete history
As in many countries, aircraft preservation started
in Belgium after World War one. Individual airmen preserved some relics as
souvenirs. Old aircraft, propellers or engines were “forgotten” in barns.
However the air arm scrapped
some ex German service aircraft without any ideas of their future historic value. An enigmatic case is the story of a very
rare Short 827, veteran of the African campaign, which literally vanished after being
transferred to a Museum.
More seriously, the Royal Army
Museum collected some rare airframes, whiteness of the conflict. These
aircraft were exhibited at the then Museum location at the Abbaye de la
Cambre. Unfortunately, other very rare aircraft were exhibited outside (as in other
countries) and were quickly destroyed by the elements. This is the case of a
Gotha Bomber. However, some of the aircraft rescued by the Museum are still
today the nucleus of the present Word War one collection.
There was no efforts during the
twenties to preserve aircraft used by the air arm or for civil transport.
Some old aeroplanes were privately owned and flow by civil pilots but in most
of the case are sold abroad to be now preserved at such prestigious
collections as the RAF Museum in Hendon or were scrapped.
During the thirties, a first
effort leaded to the opening of a small air Museum at the Deurne airport.
Some of the souvenirs of Jan Olieslagers and a Morane Saulnier MS-35 were
exhibited there. The Museum was destroyed in May 1940 but the relics from the
Jan Olieslagers collection escaped destruction.
An Air Museum in Brussels
After Word War 2, the Royal Army
Museum produced a long and extensive shopping list trying to obtain some of
the most interesting aircraft of the conflict. The list still exists but gave
no result as no major aircraft of the war entered the collections. Less
fortunate was the case of some interesting aircraft abandoned by both the
Germans and the Allies on the Belgian soil. Damaged aircraft left at
airfields or wrecks of crashed bombers and fighters were the prey of metal scrappers
without official efforts to preserve this part of history. At least some
individuals or former pilots preserved parts or elements of aircraft as
souvenirs of the conflict.
In the year fifty, the Belgian
air force took the good habit to donate one example of each aircraft retired
from service to the Royal Army Museum. A Mosquito, a Hurricane, Spitfires
found their way to the halls of the Museum.
In the sixties, a small
historical exhibition was opened at the Brussels civil airport.
At the end of the years sixties,
some initiatives leaded to the creation of a dedicated aeronautical section
within the Royal Army Museum. On one side, the direction of the Museum
concluded an agreement with the public authorities to use the hall where is
now housed the aircraft of the collection. On the other hand, some
enthusiasts tried to obtain for preservation some Tiger Moths from the civil
pilots school. These various efforts leaded to the birth of the AELR (Amis du
Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace), a non profit organisation dedicated to group
all the persons interested in the creation and the opening of an Air Museum
in Belgium in September 1970.
Some enterprising individuals
coming from all horizons, as well military or civilians united their efforts
to collect aircraft abandoned on airfields. In a few years, more than hundred
aircraft were so rescued. Thanks to the energy of these pioneers, the limited
help from various public authorities and the Belgian Air Force, the Air
Section of the Royal Army Museum opened in 1979.
After the first steps of
collecting aircraft and parts of aeronautical history, the needs for
restoration quickly appeared. Belgian Air Force personals and units
contributed in a first effort to recondition some aircraft as the Sopwith
Camel or the RE8.
Volunteers from the AELR grouped
in the BAMRS with the objective to focus on restoring the aircraft of the
Museum (click here to see more details)
New
breath
Private collectors operated and
still operate historical aircraft. At least four such collections achieved
fame: The Vormezelle collection, the Landuyt collection, the Stampe center and the Sabena
Oldtimers. As in other countries, this part of the preservation is quickly
evolving as new collectors or groups of enthusiasts join the pack.
In the eighties, some Belgian air
force bases started collecting pieces of history related to their squadrons
or the local airfield history. The three best know examples of this new
interest are the Musée
Colonel Raymond Lallemand in Florennes, the Beauvechain Historical centre
and the Dakota Club at Melsbroek.
In 1996, BAHA started operations
with members coming from many horizons. One group dedicated to the quests,
study and preservation of relics of World War Two crashes with the results of
some of their research exhibited at the Baha Erembodegem Collection (click
here for more details)
Aircraft preservation is a never
ending story with sometime bad news but in many case good surprises.
Keep in touch !
Yves Duwelz (yduwelz@swing.be)
2001
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