306th Bombardment Group Museum

About the museum

The 306th Bomb Group of the United States Eighth Air Force arrived at Thurleigh, near Bedford, in September 1942. At its peak the base housed about 3,000 people and was almost self-sufficient, with its own hospital, chapel, cinema, library and gymnasium. The group is remembered as the oldest operational bomb group in the Eighth Air Force, the first to complete 300 missions and the first to bomb Germany, in a raid on Wilhelmshaven in January 1943. Princess Elizabeth named one of its B-17 bombers "Rose of York" at the base.

After the war the airfield became a research site of the Royal Aircraft Establishment. One of the original brick-built small arms ammunition stores survived and today holds the museum. The building was donated by Dr Jonathan Palmer, who owns the Bedford Autodrome on the former airfield, and the museum was opened by him on 27 July 2002. It was founded by Ralph Franklin and, after his death and that of his wife, reopened under new care on 5 May 2019.

The displays are made up of artefacts that recreate the daily life and wartime activity of the airfield and serve as a memorial to the people of the group who lost their lives. Outside the building there are a memorial and vehicles.

Highlights

• Memorial to the airmen and ground crew of the 306th Bomb Group
• Wartime artefacts recreating life on the Thurleigh airfield
• Original brick-built ammunition store from the 1940s
• Free entry, open on Sundays in the summer season

Permanent exhibition

• Memorial museum of the 306th Bomb Group – Artefacts and displays that recall the wartime life of the airfield and honour the members of the 306th Bomb Group.

Founded

2002

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission is free. Donations are welcome and can be made online through the museum website.

Accessibility

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Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

There is no postcode for the museum itself; MK44 1QT leads to the Bedford Autodrome. From the A6 between Bedford and Rushden, take the Sharnbrook roundabout and follow signs for Bedford Technology Park and Bedford Autodrome. Drive past the security lodge, take the left turn and follow the road round to the museum. The what3words address is helped.trees.assume.

Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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