July 2024. Crowds flock to the Dome’s Big Birthday Bash!
On a beautiful sunny morning, over a thousand visitors descended on a sleepy corner of the
North Norfolk countryside to help Langham Dome celebrate and commemorate three
important anniversaries in its history.
10th Anniversary!
On Sunday 21st July 2024, it was nearly 10 years to the day
when this small but very important museum opened its doors to the public. Langham Dome
is one of 46 anti-aircraft gunnery training domes that were built in the Second World War.
Only 6 are left standing, and Langham Dome is the only one to be renovated and open to
visitors. After having raised three quarters of a million pounds back in 2014 the museum
was finally ready to open as the amazing museum it is today. It is also one of the county’s, if
not the country’s, youngest Scheduled Ancient Monuments!
Re-Opening of RAF Langham in 1945.
This year also remembers RAF Langham being reopened as a fully-fledged airfield, and the
arrival of the Australian and New Zealanders, the Anzacs, with their 455 and 489 strike wing
Beaufighter Squadrons.
Celebrities help to make it a day to remember.
Aviator and actor Martin Shaw came along on the day to open the event and was piped to the
stage by local man Jacob Millin, who is the proud grandson of famous Bill Millin, the D-Day
Landings piper. Martin said “I feel deeply honoured to be here today and thank you for
inviting me. I feel that very deeply. And thank you for piping me on. I was surprised at that
and thought ‘It’s only me’! 80 years ago the Anzacs arrived here at Langham, and it’s their
courage and sacrifice that we honour here today “
The Hanna Spitfire.
The highlight of the day was the magnificent Hanna Spitfire, flown by renowned pilot Brian
Smith. He wowed the crowds by giving the most amazing Aero-Display in the skies over
Langham Dome. A Spitfire over the Dome once again……… 80 years on!
The massive crowds were entertained throughout the whole day by 1940’s DJ, 3 Bits of
Rhythm and by live music with Zaira & Jane, Sarah Mai and The Jeff Short Combo. There
were speeches by Ewan Ward-Thomas, the grandson of the creator of the training domes
system, Henry Stevens. His system was in fact the beginning of the virtual reality that we
know today. Local politician Duncan Baker also took to the stage, after raising over £600 for
the Dome with his recent marathon runs. There were numerous military displays (including
a Sherman Tank!), vintage stalls, scrummy food and even a miniature fairground for the
kiddies.
In Remembrance.
It was a day filled with fun and laughter and the hubbub of voices was reminiscent of what it
would have been like in World War II, when the air base swelled to over 2000 people. But it
was also a day of remembering the 155 souls that lost their lives here, either flying in and out
of RAF Langham, or on the ground. The aim of the Charity, ‘Friends of Langham Dome’ is to
keep the building intact as a living memorial to those men and women who sacrificed their
lives here, and to keep the history of this unique monument alive for future generations.
