THE TONBRIDGE BATTLE OF BRITAIN MUSEUM

A tribute to the few

The Tonbridge Battle of Britain Museum is a tribute to the brave young pilots who’s courage and sacrifice will never be forgotten. The museum contains my collection of recovered artifacts over the last 40 years and their stories.

The Museum

Take a look through our image gallery showcasing the current artifacts on display at our Tonbridge Museum.

The Few

Short stories and information about pilots who flew during the Battle of Britain, including those who's aircraft we recovered.

Gallery & Shop

View our art gallery and photos dedicated to the Battle of Britain, plus WWII artifacts for sale.

THEIR FINEST HOUR

“The gratitude of every home in our Island, in our Empire, and indeed throughout the world, except in the abodes of the guilty, goes out to the British airmen who, undaunted by odds, unwearied in their constant challenge and mortal danger, are turning the tide of the World War by their prowess and by their devotion. Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”
WINSTON CHURCHILL, 18TH JUNE, 1940.

John Romney Mather

Sergeant Pilot, British 66 Squadron, Gravesend ...

John Dallas Crossman

Pilot Officer, Australian 46 Squadron, Stapleford ...

John Basil Ramsay

Pilot Officer, British 151 Squadron, North-Weald ...

The museum

A tribute to the pilots who
fought during the Battle of Britain

How it all began

Growing up in any village, you will always hear stories from the past and all told slightly differently. When I was a young lad growing up in the village of Hildenborough, one story which was often repeated, but rarely differed, was the story of the Spitfire that crashed behind the Half Moon public house during the Battle of Britain. The mystery surrounding why the Spitfire crashed intrigued me throughout my youth. My parents and many other villagers remember that cold and misty morning at about 8.30am on Sunday 27th October, 1940 and hearing a short, but loud burst of machine gunfire, followed by the sound of a screaming Rolls Royce Merlin engine. What happened next is history.

The Museum

The museum today has items from over 40 different crash sites recovered from the Battle of Britain, many with historical importance. The museum is a collection of historical artifacts I’ve collected over the last 43 years, a record to those brave young men who fought and won against the odds. I have added some of their stories to this website, you can read their stories in the The Few section.