District 1260 Blog

Today is a special day as I received an invite from Luton Rtn Jack Durrah to visit Bletchley Park and today was the day we had booked.

Jack and his late wife have been collecting Churchill memorabilia for over 40 years. His collection is amazing; a giant exhibition of the life and times of Sir Winston Churchill, who visited Bletchley Park on many occasions during the War. Churchill famously said of the workers at Bletchley Park that they were 'The geese that laid the golden eggs - but never cackled'. Jack's privately owned collection has many rare and interesting pieces and his fascinating stories just add to the whole experience.

Housed within this collection is a scale model of The Havengore, the launch used to carry Sir Winston's coffin up the river Thames; Jack being Jack, he let me have some fun by allowing me ring the original bell from The Havengore that had been presented to him for inclusion in his private collection.

The Churchill room displays a chronological illustration of events and episodes in Churchill's life. Using photographs, models, prints, artefacts, reproduction and original material, Jack's displays help to promote a better understanding of Churchill's place in history.

As an added bonus this particular weekend Bletchley Park were holding a Battle of Britain celebration, so I was also treated to a fly pass from a Lancaster bomber - brilliant! If you ever have a chance to visit Bletchley Park do go - it's such a part of our history and you'll be sure to find Jack there over a weekend visit!