To every action, there is an equal and opposite....
As I understand it, this is the first time that IWM Duxford have made concessions on the admission fees to veterans, with the exceptions of the 'invited guests' seen at Flying Legend in previous years. Although these invited guests have in the past been 'expected' to take part in various activities such as the flight line parade, book signings, etc. Veterans per se have always paid the standard or OAP admission price if there is one.
So the veterans have never really had a completely free lunch, so to speak.
Therefore, in the cold light of day, what Duxford are doing is actually a good thing, in that they are recognising ALL the veterans, not just the invited few.
Where Duxford have c0cked it up, is that rather than
reducing the admission for veterans and then publicising the fact, my own opnion is that they should have
abolished it completely. After all, as a good friend of mine has already said on the FlyPast forum, what is 8 quid compared to the sacrifices made by the veterans?
Ultimately, we all still owe a huge debt to these men, and always will. I think Duxford do recognise that fact, and they have made a gesture with genuine good intent, but it's been percieved as a 'half measure', and the publicity surrounding it has really only resulted in firing a metaphorical bullet straight through the IWM's foot....