Duxford and veterans
 

No doubt some here will have heard/seen on the news that Duxford wants to charge visiting D-Day veterans for attending the commemoration day at Duxford.

I hope that by emailing and ringing them we can make them change their minds.

May be some on this forum feel strongly enough about it to put fingers to the keyboard and do so or ring.

Further information here or email them at: [email protected].

FD

This is stirring up a lot of interest here (in Private Flying and even in Jetblast), on the Flyer Forum, and elsewhere. Please send your emails and letters. I have been bombarding my friends and rellies with requests that they do likewise.

I have sent a very terse mail to the IWM about their mean mindedness and the fact that the term D-Day is not theirs to use to without consideration to those who 'created' the name. Charging the veterans is an absolute disgrace.

I urge everyone to complain bitterly to the IWM about these charges and to make a VIP enclosure for them. :mad:

What should really be asked is why the IWM have an entrance fee at Duxford. Afterall, the IWM in London is free, as is Hendon and Cosford.

An interesting point, which had not occurred to me before. THe IWM in London is in my opinion a very good example of modern Museum practice. Interactive, educational, strong on context, and very good overall. A far cry from the old days of dusty cabinets full of medals.

D Day Veterans
 

I can't believe that the authorities are intending to do this, the Airshow is surely about honouring these brave people. Asking them to pay to enter the event is an insult. I will be contacting Duxford .

most of these old geezers have more money than I do!!!


Edit: Well that is a few poorly chosen words. Ever thought that these 'geezers', as you call them, made this country the safe place it is now - for you.

You can delete this post. So can I - but I think I will let the good people on here tell you what a prat you are.

Having had a browse through the IWM site, it might be an idea to try using:


[email protected]

According to the IWM site, if you send an e-mail to that address, with the name of a member of staff in the subject line, said member of staff (or, presumably, their secretary) will deal with it .

It might be improper of me to give the name of the relevant member(s) of staff, but anyone going here will find a handy list from which to choose. The Duxford names are about halfway down the page.

I'm sure that the senior bods in a publicly funded organisation wouldnt' object to receiving the views (if expressed politely, of course) of some of us wot fund it...

Well said Camel Pilot (Or whichever Moderator edited Spekkie's post). The prattishness speaks for itself.

Quite agree FNG - some might possibly do, but that is absolutely not the point.

I resent being called a prat, but I will forgive you because I can see you mistakenly thought I was insulting the D-Day vet's - which I certainly did not intend to do.

My point stands, but I will re-word it in an attempt to avoid further upset . . . . .

"Some of the gentlemen (and possibly ladies?) who fought so bravely for us in the 2nd WW, including the event we know as D-Day, are in a stronger financial postion than I am"

(My use of the word "some" indicates that not all will fall into this group)

Yes, spekkie, some of them were women. Have you never heard of SOE? Some veterans are well off, others are not. Should we means-test the honours awarded by the free nations to those who defended their freedom?

I regret to say that, at present, you still appear to me to be wearing a prat hat, but I hope that you will indicate to me how and why I am mistaken.

Duxford
 

This reminds me of one of my friends on the 50th anniversary. He wanted to fly over as he was there the first time. He was told the airspace was restricted to VIPs! He thought he was one but sadly they meant fat arses who were not even born at the time.
He began to wonder if he had fought for the wrong side!

I think that a phrase along the lines of "I am a VIP, since without me it wouldn't have happened" would have been in order - challenge the blighters to contradict !


Personally I don't think the financial health, or otherwise, of the veterans is relevant. They've paid already - more than most of us are ever likely to.

G

I have just e-mailed Duxford expressing my disgust that those who are being commemorated are having to pay to attend.

Duxford has moderated its position. See the thread in Private Flying for details (and for details of how you can support veterans attending the event).

Well done Flyin'Dutch and Mike Cross:

BBC

A small modicum of success. Got this from my MP:

Dear Mr FJJP

Thank you for your email regarding the D-Day Celebrations at Duxford.

As suggested, I contacted the Imperial War Museum and spoke with Julia Smith, the Business Development Manager, and I am pleased to be able to report that the £8 fee has now been withdrawn and Normandy Veterans will now be able to attend the event free of charge. Those veterans who have already purchased tickets will be refunded their money after the event. Any Normandy Veteran who has not yet purchased a ticket, but who would like to attend can do so, by turning up on the day and making themselves known to one of the officials.

D-Day is a very important occasion in our Nation's history and I am pleased to see the recognition that is now being given to our veterans and the important contribution they played in our democracy.

I do thank you for bringing this important matter to my attention.

Yours sincerely

Jonathan Djanogly MP


Ole! [By the way, I claim nothing for this - it's a team effort. All round attack by everyone paid dividends. Glad the Veterans are going to have a VIP day of it!]

The above is largely down to FD and Mike, and bear in mind that Duxford are only doing this because we are stumping up. I and many others have gladly subscibed to pay entrance fees, but the principle remains: Duxford should never have contemplated charging the veterans a penny. In reality, Duxford isn't letting anyone in for free: it's accepting our payments and claiming credit as though it was pursuing some public spirited initiative. My opinion of the IWM management is lower now than it was when this story first broke. I initially put the decision to charge the veterans down to an ignorant error made by a junior employee born in the 1980s who probably thinks (along with 80% of the population, apparently) that the Battle of Britain occurred in 1066 (or 1966!) . Now it appears that this was a policy decision by management, still not withdrawn. It will be a long time before I visit Duxford again.

As I understand it, IWM Duxford has not dropped the charge. It is simply accepting the money from the guys listed in the Private Flying forum as payment of the 8 quid for each Veteran. Their press release spins this as some kind of generous gesture from the IWM; it is nothing of the sort. It is purely down to the generosity of other people that the Vets will be able to attend for free. I, for one, will not be visiting the IWM again - and I will make my feelings plain to anyone who cares to listen (though I doubt there'll be many of those!).