Project Background

This Exhibition is being developed to honour the memory of all those who flew to battle in assault gliders in World War Two, the air crews who towed and re-supplied them, the ground crews who serviced the aircraft and the civilian workers who built them.

The Assault Glider Trust is a non-profit making, entirely voluntary organisation without any official funding. It relies entirely upon grants and donations. The National Heritage Lottery Fund has been very generous, but every grant has to be matched, pound for pound, by voluntary donations. With this in mind, we ask you, our guests, to donate any artefacts or related memorabilia, aircraft parts etc to the Trust, where they can be displayed for all to see and appreciate.

We also ask you to donate generously to our cause, to enable us to buy materials and parts for the restoration and maintenance of our collection. We also seek new volunteers to help us. All personal donations, if accompanied by a Gift Aid Declaration, attract a 28% additional donation from the Inland Revenue. Donations in cash or in kind from Companies and Firms can be offset against UK Corporation Tax.

Please help us to develop our collection and honour those who gave their all in World War Two so that we can enjoy the Freedom that so many take for granted.

In March 2001, Royal Air Force Shawbury offered a home for the construction of the Horsa. A large section original Horsa fuselage has been loaned for use as a pattern, and the whole construction process has been significantly assisted by BAe Systems who have allowed the use of original drawings on the condition that the completed glider will not be flown.

Above: Horsa Glider Model

 The granting of Charitable Status in October 2001, and steadily increasing media interest have helped raise the profile of the work. As the Assault Glider Trust we have also been able to attract Lottery funding.

Below: Horsa Fuselage and parts loaned as patterns.

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To read the The Full Background Story please click here

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