Staff at a museum in Woodley will be digitising pictures that give insight into the aircraft manufacturing heritage of the area.
The Museum of Berkshire Aviation in Woodley is digitising pictures that shed light on aircraft manufacturing at nearby White Waltham airfield. The museum is on Mohawk Way and White Waltham was used for the construction of parts for the Spitfire and Mustang fighter aircraft.
Its collection includes aircraft, parts, pilot helmets and insignia, and a distinctive British European Airways passenger plane.
Staff have received grant funding to catalogue and digitise pictures held on glass negatives — the medium used before photos moved to plastic film.
“We’ve received a grant from Airbus UK, through Aviation Heritage UK, for the cataloguing and digitalisation of an initial batch of 500 glass negatives from ML Aviation.
“The Museum received a large number of these negatives when ML closed their site at White Waltham in 1996.
“ML Aviation made many products, including bubble canopies for the Supermarine Spitfire and the P51 Mustang.
“Post World War Two, ML manufactured aircraft handling, weapons stores, equipment and drones, and was involved in the early development of Ejector Seats in competition with Martin-Baker.
“There is an area devoted to all things related to ML Aviation, located on the mezzanine floor of the Museum.”
James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter
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