Learn about the history of RAF Melksham in the latest museum display at the town hall.
This month marks the 85th anniversary of the opening of the air base, and the Melksham and District Historical Association has installed a new display at the town hall to commemorate the milestone.
RAF Melksham was a Royal Air Force station which operated as a non-flying training base. It was established in 1940 and closed in 1965.
It also trained personnel from other Allied Air Forces and the Royal Naval Air Service. After its closure, the site was developed into the Bowerhill Industrial Estate and residential area.
Chair of the association, Paul Carter, said that older residents of Melksham may remember the photo of the red plane as a feature at the entrance to the camp.
Pictured: A Hawker Hunter Mk3 plane which was displayed at the entrance of the camp in the late 1950s and early 1960s
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My grandfather, Thomas Griffiths, was posted to R A F Melksham in June 1941. he was aged 56 and i think he acted as batman to an officer, but I don’t know who. He first joined in 1915 and his service number was 7939