THE AIR DEFENCE RADAR MUSEUM · By Derek Waters
In my days as a Navigator, I was always conscious of the importance of ground radar in plotting the position and progress of enemy aircraft and, for that matter, of ourselves in Bomber Command.
My wife and I are regular visitors to Norfolk and had seen references to the Air Defence Radar Museum near the village of - Horning.
So last year we decided to make a visit there, the
Museum being adjacent to RAF Nettisham on a turning from the
A1062. Arriving there, we drove into the car park and then
presented ourselves at the Reception Centre.
Here we received
a warm and friendly greeting before joining a small group of
other visitors and being ushered into the Briefing Room. Here
we learnt that the Museum was staffed by volunteers, many of
whom manned radar over the years.
We were then taken on a two hour tour moving from room to room
each of which had a guide to explain the equipment and
techniques which were used.
The rooms and exhibits are well laid out, brought to life with full size models in 1940's uniform and proceed in chronological order, each room covering a different phase of the story.
Plenty of time is allowed to view the displays and ask questions. The final and largest room has giant wall displays illustrating the professional approach to detecting enemy intruders.
Refreshments can be obtained and the Museum has interesting books and gifts available in the shop. In the early days after the war, visitors had to have armed escorts when entering and departing the Museum.
It has received prestigious awards, the reason for which will be obvious to visitors.