RAF Museum Putting Thousands of Historical Pieces on Display for First Time

Staff and volunteers are preparing to move the artifacts to the gallery’s Midlands location.

Zach Vasile

Thursday, July 03, 2025 at 07:00 AM ET

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Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

The RAF Museum's stored collection at MOD Stafford. [Courtesy: RAF Museum]

Key Takeaways:

The Royal Air Force Museum is undertaking "The Crate Escape" project to move over 50,000 historical items from a secure storage site to its Midlands location.
This significant relocation will allow many pieces, representing less than 1% of the museum's vast collection, to be displayed publicly for the first time, bringing hidden RAF stories to light.
The project involves over 31,000 hours of work for cataloging, cleaning, and packing, with the museum actively fundraising for support through sponsorships.
The expansion at the Midlands site is set for completion in 2027 and will feature new exhibitions on the RAF's role from 1980 onwards, a learning center, and green spaces.

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The Royal Air Force Museum is working to move over 50,000 historical pieces to its location in the English Midlands, where many of them will be displayed publicly for the first time.

Less than 1 percent of the museum’s vast collection is currently on display, with the rest kept tucked away at a secure but largely inaccessible Ministry of Defense site in Stafford. This remainder, described by museum officials as an “Aladdin’s cave” of treasures, includes aircraft, parts, ejector seats, military uniforms, medals, logbooks, and other memorabilia connected to one of the most storied air forces in history.