Airborne Assault Museum

Airborne Assault Museum The Airborne Assault Museum is a specialist collection dedicated to the history of British airborne forces, including airborne operations, parachute regiments, and glider-borne units. It interprets the roles of formations, campaigns, and individual servicemen in conflicts such as World War II, the Berlin Airlift, and postwar deployments. The museum provides material culture, archival documents, and oral histories tied to notable units and operations.

History

The museum developed from regimental initiatives by the Parachute Regiment (United Kingdom), the Airborne Forces Museum Trust, and local veterans' groups formed after World War II. Founding efforts drew support from associations connected to the 1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom), the 6th Airborne Division (United Kingdom), and glider units such as the Royal Engineers airborne elements. Early collections were assembled by veterans of the Operation Market Garden and the Battle of Arnhem, who donated uniforms, insignia, and personal papers. Expansion in the 1990s incorporated materials from families of servicemen involved in Operation Tonga and the D-Day Landings (Operation Overlord) airborne operations. Partnerships with national archives and regimental museums, including links with the Imperial War Museum and local county museums, enabled cataloguing and conservation programs. The museum's governance has involved trustees from the Parachute Regiment Association, the Airborne Assault Regimental Museum Trust, and civic bodies in Devon. Commemorative events have coincided with anniversaries of Operation Varsity and other airborne campaigns, attracting participation from veterans of the Korean War and later conflicts.

Collection and Exhibits

The collection comprises uniforms, parachutes, glider components, weaponry, medals, maps, and personal diaries tied to units such as the Parachute Regiment (United Kingdom), the Glider Pilot Regiment, and airborne elements of the Royal Air Force. Highlighted exhibits include a reconstructed Horsa glider fuselage used in Operation Market Garden, original parachute rigging from Operation Overlord, and the dress and combat uniforms of decorated soldiers awarded the Victoria Cross and the Distinguished Service Order. Displays present tactical plans from Operation Tonga and briefing materials from the Battle of Arnhem, alongside oral-history recordings from veterans of the 1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom) and the 6th Airborne Division (United Kingdom). The museum holds weaponry such as the Sten gun, the Bren light machine gun, and airborne-configured mortars employed by paras and gliderborne troops. Archive material includes war diaries, regimental rolls, and photographs connected to operations in North Africa Campaign, Italy Campaign (WWII), and Southeast Asian theatre of World War II. Special exhibits have showcased the role of airborne operations during the Suez Crisis and peace support deployments under NATO command, referencing units from the British Army and allied formations such as the United States Army 82nd Airborne Division and the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade.

Educational Programs and Events

The museum runs guided tours, school visits aligned with curricula on World War II and 20th-century conflicts, and living-history demonstrations featuring personnel from reenactment groups linked to the Parachute Regiment (United Kingdom) and the Glider Pilot Regiment Association. Public lectures have included speakers from the Imperial War Museum, battlefield historians specializing in Operation Market Garden, and veterans of the Battle of Arnhem. Workshops cover parachute packing techniques, conservation of textiles from the Second World War, and archival research methods in collaboration with university departments studying military history, such as scholars affiliated with the University of Exeter and the University of Plymouth. Annual remembrance ceremonies mark anniversaries of D-Day (6 June 1944) and Operation Market Garden, drawing representatives from the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), regimental associations, and civic leaders. Educational outreach also uses mobile displays at regional events connected to the National Army Museum network and veterans' federations.

Facility and Location

Located in Exeter, Devon, the museum occupies a purpose-adapted historic building close to transport links serving southwestern England, near sites associated with wartime training grounds and airborne assembly areas. The facility includes climate-controlled archive rooms, an exhibition hall with glider and parachute displays, a reference library with regimental journals, and a conservation workshop for textile and metal artifacts. Accessibility features accommodate visitors with mobility needs, and the site coordinates with local tourist information centers and heritage trails that link to other military sites in Devon and Somerset. The museum's proximity to historic airfields used by airborne units during World War II provides context for guided battlefield and airfield tours.

Visitor Information

The museum is open seasonally with extended hours for commemorative events and school terms. Admission fees support conservation and educational programs; concessions are available for veterans associated with the Parachute Regiment Association and members of allied veteran organizations. Facilities include a gift shop offering regimental histories, replica insignia, and publications from military historians covering Operation Market Garden, D-Day (6 June 1944), and airborne doctrine. Visitors are advised to check event calendars for lectures, guided tours, and anniversary commemorations that often require advance booking. Parking and public-transport connections link to regional rail services and bus routes serving Exeter and surrounding counties.

Category:Military and war museums in England Category:History of airborne forces