Day 1 to day 5

Excursion One – Battle of Britain Bunker at RAF Uxbridge & Bentley Priory Museum

Our first excursion takes us to RAF Uxbridge, where we head below ground to the atmospheric Battle of Britain Bunker*. This is where RAF Fighter Command’s No. 11 Group was housed throughout the Second World War and where fighter aircraft operations were controlled, most notably during the Battle of Britain. As you take in the large map table, squadron boards and more on our captivating guided tour, just imagine the plotters making key decisions that would decide the fate of the nation. There’s also time to discover the visitor centre, which features state-of-the-art displays and an auditorium giving virtual access to the bunker.

*Please note that access to the bunker is via 76 steps, but there is the option of seeing this virtually if preferred.

We learn more about the Battle of Britain at our next stop, Bentley Priory Museum, located within a Grade II listed mansion house. Our guided tour entitled Bentley Priory: The Evolution of a Historic House delves into property’s rich past, including its role as the headquarters of RAF Fighter Command during the Second World War. The museum here tells the story of how the Battle of Britain was won, highlighting the contribution of ‘The One, The Few and The Many’; Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, the pilots who took to the skies and those who worked tirelessly on the ground to ensure victory. Excursion Two – RAF Upper Heyford & Bletchley Park Beginning the day in Oxfordshire, we visit RAF Upper Heyford, used by Bomber Command during the Second World War and as an American GI airbase during the Cold War. We find out more during our guided coach tour, which stops in several places on the site, all while looking out for the local wildlife such as peregrine falcons, skylarks and buzzards.

Next, we discover one of the most remarkable stories of the Second World War with an audio-guided tour of Bletchley Park, where the pioneering achievements of codebreakers provided crucial assistance to the Allied war effort. Our visit gives us an insight into the clandestine operations here, as well as free time to explore the fascinating galleries and exhibits inside the original codebreaking huts, which feature the world’s largest and most comprehensive display of Enigma machines.

Excursion Three – Imperial War Museum Duxford & Audley End House

We make our way to Imperial War Museum Duxford. This historic airfield is home to Britain’s largest aviation museum, but it first saw service in the First World War. During the Second World War it was a base for RAF planes and pilots, including the fighter ‘ace’ Douglas Bader. The US Air Force also used it in the later years of the war, and the stories of the heroic GIs chronicled here are ones of immense bravery and sacrifice. Today, the hangars and buildings of Duxford contain some of the largest objects from the world-class collections of the Imperial War Museum, including hundreds of aircraft such as a Lancaster, Spitfire and Concorde, military vehicles and artillery pieces. There are also displays of other artefacts, films, photographs, documents and books, and we discover more during our private guided tour. We continue on to Audley End, one of the finest Jacobean houses in England, which played an important role in the Second World War. The house was the main training base for the Polish section of the Special Operations Executive, and agents were trained here to parachute into their homeland to fight against the Nazis. We learn more during our visit and find out about the network of defences that once ran through the estate, part of a scheme to protect London from an attack from the east.