Ridgewell Airfield Commemorative Museum

Small volunteer-run museum in a former RAF Ridgewell hospital hut, remembering No. 90 Squadron RAF and the US 381st Bomb Group; open monthly in summer.

Opening hoursFree admission Café

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About the museum

The museum remembers the airmen who served at RAF Ridgewell in Essex, the only long-term heavy bomber base in the county during the Second World War. The airfield was built in 1942 and became operational in 1943. No. 90 Squadron RAF flew 51 missions from January to May 1943 and lost 28 Short Stirling bombers. The US 381st Bomb Group arrived in June 1943, flew 297 missions over two years and lost 165 B-17 Flying Fortresses. After the war the site was used for bomb storage and disposal and was decommissioned in 1957; most of it has since returned to farmland.

The museum was established in 2000 and was the vision of Tony Ince, who grew up in Ridgewell during the war and began collecting in 1985. It occupies part of Hut 599, which was originally Ward Number Two of the RAF Ridgewell base hospital. The first part of the building was rented in 1999 and the rest in 2007, and volunteers restored it.

The growing private collection covers No. 90 Squadron and the 381st Bomb Group and includes military artefacts, uniforms, photographs and personal stories of wartime service. The museum is run by a small team of volunteers, is funded only by donations and memberships, and welcomes the families of veterans. Members receive free walking tours.

Highlights

Former base hospital hut used as the museum building
Collection on No. 90 Squadron RAF and the US 381st Bomb Group
Uniforms, photographs and personal stories of wartime service
Stage Door Canteen café and a shop with souvenirs and memorabilia
Free admission and free parking

Permanent exhibition

RAF Ridgewell collection – Uniforms, photographs, personal effects and stories about No. 90 Squadron RAF and the US 381st Bomb Group, shown in Ward Number Two of the former base hospital.