The RAF Museum in London and some of the aviation gems it preserves

The United Kingdom is a country that owes its survival to many great aviation heroes of the Second World War.

The Royal Air Force (RAF) still has World War II fighter planes in service
A tour of the fabulous contents of the aeronautical museum at RAF Cosford

The country, and its capital London in particular, were the targets of extremely harsh German bombing campaigns during the Battle of Britain (July-October 1940) and the so-called Blitz (which ended in May 1941). Many British and other Allied pilots defended the United Kingdom with admirable courage that deserves to be remembered by future generations. And a good way to remember history is in a museum.

The British capital is famous for its museums. One of the most interesting is the RAF Museum London, one of the two main branches of the Royal Air Force Museum along with RAF Cosford, which we saw here last year. RAF London is in the north of the city, on Grahame Park Way, in the Colindale district.

The museum is located on the site of the former RAF Hendon airfield, established in 1914 and active during both world wars, before being decommissioned in 1968. Its runways were removed to make way for the current museum, which was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 15 November 1972.

When it opened, RAF London had just 36 aircraft on display. Today it has five hangars with over a hundred aircraft, spanning a historical period of over 100 years, from the dawn of aviation to the present day. In addition, there are also boats used by the RAF, ground vehicles, uniforms, documents and, of course, a souvenir shop where it's hard not to end up buying a teddy bear (as you can see, there are quite a few).

Below you can see a small part of the aviation jewels preserved in this museum, including original aircraft from both world wars.

A British World War I Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5A fighter, the F938. This is one of the few surviving examples of this biplane model. This aircraft was built in Birmingham and delivered to the Royal Flying Corps (RFC, the predecessor of the RAF) in August 1918. The aircraft was not deployed to the front before the armistice and was sent with 84 Squadron RFC to Eil, Germany in July 1919.

A British Sopwith Triplane fighter from World War I, the N5912. Entered service in December 1916, the Sopwith Triplane was the first operational triplane fighter, preceding the famous German Fokker Dr.I. The aircraft preserved in the museum was stationed at RAF Hendon from 19 October 1917 to 21 February 1918. After World War I the aircraft was dismantled and stored by the Imperial War Museum in London in very poor condition. In 1936 it was restored for display at RAF Hendon.

A replica of a German Albatros D.Va fighter aircraft from World War I. The D.V entered service in 1915 and some 2,500 were built during the war. Only two original aircraft survive today, in museums in Australia and the USA. This replica was built by Vintage Aviator Ltd (TVAL) of New Zealand in 2011. It bears the serial D.7343/17, the aircraft of German pilot Karl Friedrich Kurt Jentsch of Jasta 61, who fought on the Western Front.

A British World War II Fairey Battle light bomber, the L5343. This aircraft was delivered to the RAF on 13 September 1939, a few days after the outbreak of World War II. It served in France and Iceland in 1940. The aircraft crashed at a remote location in Iceland on 13 September 1940. Most of the aircraft was destroyed by the RAF, but a restoration process was initiated in 1973 with the parts that were preserved. Parts of the fuselage of Battle L5340 were taken for restoration.

A British World War II Short Sunderland MR.5 flying boat, the ML824. 749 of these aircraft were built between 1938 and 1946, and were used primarily for maritime patrol duties. ML824 was delivered to the RAF on 30 June 1944. It served in Northern Ireland making 11 operational sorties, ten of them against German submarines. It served with the French Naval Aviation in the post-war period.

A British Avro Lancaster 1 bomber from World War II, the R5868. A total of 7,377 Lancasters were built by the UK during the war, with the Lancasters being the main protagonist of British night bombing raids against Germany. Only 17 Lancasters survive, of which only two are airworthy. Nicknamed 'Sugar', R5868 was delivered to the RAF on 29 June 1942, serving with 83 Squadron from RAF Scampton. Its last operational mission was on 23 April 1945. It flew 137 operational missions, with a total of 795 flight hours and 466 tons of bombs dropped on Germany. It was the RAF bomber with the second most operational missions, surpassed only by the Lancaster Mk 111 ED888 "Mike Squared", which was scrapped in 1947. The "Sugar" was one of the first aircraft to be displayed at RAF London.

A German World War II Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3 fighter, the DG200. This aircraft was built at Leipzig in September 1940. It was hit by gunfire from a British Spitfire flown by a Canadian, Flight Lieutenant George P. Christie, while flying over Kent, England on 27 November 1940. Its last German pilot was 21-year-old Wolfgang Teumer, who crash-landed at Manston, accompanied by his rival. The Bf 109 was taken to Hucknall for repairs and evaluation.

An Australian World War II Lockheed Hudson IIIA light bomber, the A16-199. It was delivered to the US Army Air Forces (USAAF) on 1 February 1942, and handed over to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) a few months later. It served in the Netherlands East Indies and Timor, both on bombing missions and on anti-submarine patrols. It was put into storage on 16 November 1945. It passed through various hands until it was eventually auctioned at Christies in 1981, being acquired by the RAF Museum for £16,000. It has been on display in the museum's main hall since January 1982.

A British World War II Hawker Typhoon Mk IB fighter aircraft, the MN235. It first flew on 8 February 1944. Shortly afterwards it was sent to the USAAF for evaluation. In 1949 it was placed in storage by the Smithsonian Institution for museum display. In 1968 it returned to the UK and after a restoration process, it was one of the first aircraft to be displayed in this museum.

A British Westland Sea King HAR3 helicopter, the XZ585. It made its maiden flight on 6 September 1977, being delivered to the RAF in January 1978. It served as a search and rescue (SAR) helicopter with 22 Squadron between 1982 and 2015, saving numerous lives at sea. It was moved to the museum in 2017.

A British Avro Vulcan B.2 strategic bomber, the XL318. It made its maiden flight on 12 August 1961. It made its last flight on 11 December 1981 with 617 Squadron, the famous "Dambusters". It has been on display at the museum since 1982.

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Photos: The Royal Air Force Museum.