100th Bomb Group Memorial Museum
Free museum in the original control tower and buildings of a Second World War US airfield in Norfolk, honouring the 100th Bomb Group.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The museum occupies the former airfield at Thorpe Abbotts, in the Norfolk countryside east of Diss. In June 1943 the 100th Bomb Group of the United States Eighth Air Force moved there. The group became known as the “Bloody Hundredth” because of the heavy losses it suffered, beginning with its first mission. It flew its last combat mission on 20 April 1945 and afterwards dropped food over the Netherlands.
The control tower, whose history goes back to 1942, is the heart of the museum, and the whole building is used for displays of documents, photographs, uniforms and equipment. A glasshouse on the roof gives a view over the surviving airstrips and holds a model of the wartime base. Other surviving buildings include the Engine Shed, which now shelters a reconstructed B-17 Flying Fortress, and the Sad Sack Shack, a re-creation of the airbase engineering office.
The archive includes photographs taken by the base’s own photographic unit, showing daily life at the airfield and its missions. The museum is run by a registered charity and has partnerships with the Sally B Supporters Club and with a museum about the air battle over the Ore Mountains in the Czech Republic.
Key themes
- Original wartime control tower with displays on three floors
- Rooftop glasshouse overlooking the airfield with a model of the base
- Reconstructed B-17 Flying Fortress in the Engine Shed
- Recreated airbase engineering office, the Sad Sack Shack
- Archive of wartime photographs of daily life at the base
Permanent exhibitions
- Control tower displays – Documents, photographs, uniforms and equipment about the 100th Bomb Group in the original control tower, including a recreated teleprinter room and the rooftop glasshouse.
- Engine Shed with B-17 reconstruction – A surviving airbase building housing a reconstructed B-17 Flying Fortress.
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Entry is free; donations are welcome. Groups of ten or more receive a free welcome introduction.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
Most displays are wheelchair accessible, except the first-floor displays in the control tower and the glasshouse. A wheelchair is available on site. Designated disabled parking is within 50 metres of the entrance, which has ramp access. Dogs are welcome but are not allowed on the upper level of the control tower.
Kids & families
The museum does not describe specific children’s offers.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Diss station
The nearest railway station is Diss, about 5 miles away.
By car
Free parking
Ample free parking for bicycles, cars and coaches.
- Accessible parking
The museum is signposted from the A140 and A143 at Dickleburgh and Thorpe Abbotts.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Museum shop
A café in the Visitor Centre serves tea, coffee, soft drinks and cakes. Picnic benches in the grounds look towards the control tower. The shop sells books on the 100th Bomb Group, badges, patches and souvenirs, and takes major credit cards.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Good to know | Volunteers greet visitors and answer questions, and a virtual tour of the displays is available online. Coach parties are welcome, and film screenings about the 100th Bomb Group can be requested for groups. Relatives of 100th Bomb Group veterans are asked to email in advance so that a personal visit can be arranged. |
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