Allied Air Forces Memorial Day

Yorkshire Air Museum hosts its Allied Air Forces Memorial Day on Sunday 6 September, the museum's largest ceremonial event of the year. It's a day for remembering the service and sacrifice of the men and women from Commonwealth and Allied air forces, past and present. The museum itself sits on the site of the former RAF Elvington, a Second World War heavy bomber base, so the location fits the occasion.

The main service starts at 12pm in the museum's main hangar, led by the honorary chaplain, Revd Charles 'Taff' Morgan MBE RAF (Rtd). It includes a parade with 18 Standards presented and the Turning of the Page in the museum's Book of Remembrance. This year, the page honours the crew of Nimrod XV230, lost over Kandahar, Afghanistan on 2 September 2006, with all 14 personnel on board. Later in the afternoon, there's a flypast by a Battle of Britain Memorial Flight fighter aircraft, though that one depends on the weather and the plane being serviceably fit.

It's a broad gathering, with official representatives expected from the embassies of France, Belgium, Poland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Group Captain John 'Geordie' Lawson, Officer Commanding RAF Leeming, will be there representing the Chief of the UK Air Staff, and the Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, Mrs Johanna Ropner, will attend representing HM The King. Between the service, the parade, and the flypast, it's a full day of remembrance.

The museum is open to the public throughout, so you can come along for the service and stay on to look around. Standard admission applies, and there are no special tickets needed. The service kicks off at 12pm in the main hangar at Elvington, York, with the flypast following in the mid-afternoon.