The Battle of Britain Historical Society
The Society is an organisation whose main aim is to uphold and perpetuate the memory of not just The Few but those personnel that in some way were associated with that period in which they fought and died. It as an excellent source of information for anything you could want to know about The Battle.
The Shoreham Aircraft Museum was founded in 1978 by local enthusiasts, whose passion for the Battle of Britain period resulted in the establishment of a permanent display in 1988. It houses hundreds of aviation relics excavated by the group over many years from crashed British and German aircraft, as well as items which have been donated by families of British airmen. In addition, there is a fine collection of flying helmets, uniforms and insignia.
I have visited this museum and can thoroughly recommend it. If you want to know what the England The Merseyside Few were defending in 1940 was like, then the village of Shoreham itself will provide you with an insight as it doesn’t look like its changed since the Battle of Britain.
The Kent Battle of Britain Museum
The Kent Battle of Britain Museum situated on the site of the former RAF base at Hawkinge is the oldest established and largest collection of Battle of Britain artefacts on show in the country. Having visited the museum myself I can confirm that when they say “largest collection” they mean largest collection. What they have on display is remarkable and I would recommend spending a day there. There are items relating to The Merseyside Few, including Stanley Fenemore, which adds to the
interest.
There are two further places I would recommend visiting close by; Hawkinge Cemetery is literally three minutes away. Here you will find graves of many of The Few alongside graves of their opponents. Hawkinge is one of the few cemeteries to have Allied and Axis personnel buried side by side.
Just five miles from Hawkinge is the picturesque Kentish village of Denton where you will find The Jackdaw Inn. This was the pub used in the 1969 movie The Battle of Britain where scenes involving Susannah York and Christopher Plummer were filmed. I would thoroughly recommend you finishing off your day at the museum with a meal and pint of Spitfire ale at The Jackdaw.
No 46 Squadron Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force
I came across this site whilst researching John Drummond and cannot recommend it highly enough. It’s as comprehensive a site as you will find on any squadron.
Western Approaches – The Liverpool War Museum
I know this has nothing to do with The Merseyside Few specifically, but it has a lot to do with Merseyside. Western Approaches was the nerve centre for The Battle of the Atlantic and had its own commander when the HQ was moved to Liverpool. It’s a bonafide piece of WWII history, comparable to the Cabinet War Rooms and, if you live on Merseyside, is on your doorstep. So go visit!
RabbitSqn is named after the squadron in The Battle of Britain movie. Here you will be able to purchase aviation art and books, more often than not signed by some of the surviving Few themselves. RabbitSqn also organise signing events where you can come along and actually meet The Few. They support two charities, The Battle of Britain Fighter Association and Parity, a charity that provides for children and young adults with multiple disabilities.