Our Partners: Pathfinder Collection, RAF Wyton
Image: the Pathfinder building in 2007. The Pathfinder Collection is housed in a different building.
We are partnered with the Pathfinder Collection at RAF Wyton, near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, who have on display at their Heritage Centre some of our best material, including the Deverill Collection.
Shared Data: The online catalogue which is being developed by the RAF Pathfinders Archive includes a substantial amount of material from the Pathfinder Collection; all items are clearly marked with their archive of origin.
Physical Collections: While we share digital material, the physical collections are completely separate entities. To visit the museum at RAF Wyton, or to ask about a display, or to arrange a talk given by a representative of the Pathfinder Collection, you will need to contact the Pathfinder Collection direct. PLEASE NOTE: We cannot arrange visits to the Pathfinder Collection on their behalf as RAF Wyton is a military base and visit requests have to be officially logged. See below for further information.
LATEST INFORMATION ON BUILDING WORKS at HERITAGE CENTRE, RAF WYTON
- 24 Aug 2023 – It is with great pleasure that it can be announced that the RAF Wyton Heritage Centre will be able to accept bookings for external visits from Friday 15th August 2023. Due to the notice required to process any visit applications, the first visits will be undertaken on or about 25th Sept 2023. Thank you for your patience and understanding over the last few months.
- 13 Aug 2023 – The Heritage Centre has now been re-occupied by the volunteers. We expect to properly re-open for visits after 13 August 2023. Thank you all for your patience and understanding over the last few months.
- 4 April 2023 – The revised timetable for the re-opening of the Heritage Centre is the end of July 2023.
- 2 March 2023 – The Heritage Centre at RAF Wyton has had to close due to an ongoing structural issue with the building. The building is unlikely to re-open until November 2023.
VISITS TO THE PATHFINDER COLLECTION, HERITAGE CENTRE, RAF WYTON.
Please complete the online VISIT REQUEST FORM.
For your info, the centre comprises 3 historical collections:
1. The RAF Wyton History Timeline. This covers the history of RAF Wyton from its beginnings as a Royal Flying Corps station in 1916 to its present use as the HQ Joint Forces Intelligence Group.
2. The Photo Reconnaissance Collection. This collection was previously the JARIC History Collection formerly housed at RAF Brampton and recently expanded to cover all aspect of photo reconnaissance/imagery intelligence.
3. The Path Finder Collection. This is the most comprehensive collection of RAF Path Finder Force memorabilia which was started in 1996 and has grown considerably over the years.
In order to do this full justice you should allow at least an hour for each collection.
The RAF Wyton Heritage Centre is run by a small group volunteers so any visits are dependent on their availability. Our preference is for group visits of between 6 & 30 people, but we try to be flexible. Individual visitors may be asked to join other group visits to make best use of our time.
For groups of 10 or more visiting on weekdays there is an option for a buffet lunch in the Heritage Centre, please ask for details.
Security
The Heritage Centre is inside the Wyton base, which operates at a high security level. Access to the unit is at the discretion of the station commander and is dependent on security checks. Visits may be cancelled without notice for service reasons.
All visitors must bring some form of photo identification. Visitors may be subject to searches and will be escorted at all times. Photography is strictly prohibited except inside the Heritage Centre building.
We require 14 working days notice of any non-UK nationals wishing to visit and they must provide their date and place of birth, passport number and expiry date.
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FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE PATHFINDER COLLECTION, RAF WYTON
The Pathfinder Collection is dedicated to No. 8 Pathfinder Group of Bomber Command, the RAF’s only officially recognized elite force.
During the Second World War, RAF Station Wyton was the main Pathfinder airfield. It was very close to Huntingdon where Pathfinder Headquarters was situated, and Air Commodore Donald Bennett, the commander of the Pathfinders, had his marital home on the station.
The idea for a Pathfinder museum at RAF Wyton took root in the summer of 1995. A temporary display for Pathfinder Sunday (an annual event each August for the benefit of the Pathfinders and their families) generated overwhelming interest, which led to the creation of the museum.
Subsequently named The Pathfinder Collection, the museum has evolved and grown considerably since those early days when it was set up by Chief Technician Pete Stanley. It has also changed premises several times, perhaps its most memorable early site being the former Roman Catholic Church (later sadly demolished due to structural failure).
The collection is now housed in the RAF Wyton Heritage and Conference Centre, which contains all the various heritage collections as well as a station history timeline.
The Pathfinder Collection has always been staffed by highly dedicated volunteers, who have a real passion for the heritage which they are preserving.
RAF Wyton is still very much a working station, and the Pathfinder Collection has grown with the support of successive Station Commanders. Because the Collection is on a military base, admission to visit it is by appointment only. Whilst this process may seem somewhat daunting to the uninitiated, all visitors are assured of the friendliest of welcomes by curators who know their subject inside out.
The Pathfinder Collection: Wyton Heritage and Conference Centre, Royal Air Force Wyton, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28 2EA
