History was brought vividly to life, when students from St Clement’s High School spent the day at RAF Marham.

The Year 8 and 9 group from the WNAT school received a tour of the Aviation Heritage Centre and Air Traffic Control Tower courtesy of curator Steve Roberts, MBE, who explained the history of the Royal Air Force from World War One to modern times.

“The tour allowed the students to view over 12,000 artefacts and memorabilia that reflect the history of the Royal Air Force in Marham, East Anglia, and beyond,” said St Clement’s Librarian, Jenny Ford, who accompanied them.

“The displays were arranged in chronological order to help the students understand the historical timeline from the Royal Flying Corps, the First World War, formation of the RAF, World War Two, Suez Canal Crisis, the Cold War, the Falklands conflict, and Gulf Wars, up to the present day.”

Organised by the school’s Head of History, Anton Modica, it was the first time the visit had taken place.

“The students were particularly interested in viewing armaments used by RAF Marham aircraft, including the Sidewinder and Brimstone missiles,” continued Mrs Ford.

“Another highlight was a WE177 Freefall nuclear bomb, a significant artefact from the Cold War era. Another item of interest on display was a Victor Bomber ejection seat and historic aircraft propellers.”

There was also an interactive element to the visit, with some students able to experience for themselves the drama of World War Two, thanks to a flight simulator which took them on a 1943 night raid over Berlin via Virtual Reality Headsets.

“The students could join the aircrew virtually and listen to communication over internal radios,” explained Mrs Ford. “This allowed the students a brief insight into the bravery and resilience of the personnel from Bomber Command.”

In addition to the Heritage Centre, the visitors toured the Air Traffic Control Centre at RAF Marham, where they met staff and saw a variety of aircraft monitoring equipment, as well as learning about airfield operations, and the role and functions of the Air Traffic Tower.

“We enjoyed the unique view of the airfield from the tower, and were very fortunate to observe a F35 fast jet taking off during the visit,” added Mrs Ford.

“Some of our students wish to pursue a role in aviation and the Armed Forces, and this visit was very beneficial to learn about the opportunities that are available to them.”