Sarah-Louise Miller suggests five heritage sites and museums to visit to uncover the story of the unflappable women of the Women\u2019s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), whose work during the Second World War ensured success for many vital missions <\/p>
We often hear about the role of the famous \u201cfew\u201d in the Second World War \u00ad\u2013 the pilots who protected the skies during the Battle of Britain<\/a>. But the work of the Women\u2019s Auxiliary Air Force, known as the WAAF, has somewhat slipped through the cracks. From roles as courageous secret agents to the unflustered women behind the Dambusters raid, these women conducted vital work under immense pressure to ensure success for some of the war\u2019s most pressing missions. Speaking on the HistoryExtra<\/em> podcast, Sarah-Louise Miller shared some of the most interesting places to visit in the UK which bring their story to light\u2026<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Sarah says: \u201cThe Imperial War Museum is fantastic, and it has multiple sites. The London site is a good place to learn about the Second World War in general, and to give you context and information on the roles that women played, including the Special Operations Executive.\u201d<\/p>\n Find out more<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Sarah says: \u201cThe Imperial War Museum\u2019s Duxford site, which is the Air Museum, has an actual operations room. You can see that big central map table that we all see in pictures and films. They also have a good simulation to show you what it would have been like \u2013 it\u2019s very atmospheric.<\/p>\n \u201cSo that\u2019s a fantastic place to go to learn more about what the WAAF did and how it would have felt on a daily basis. And, obviously, you can never pass up an excuse to hear a Spitfire flying overhead!\u201d<\/p>\n Find out more<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Sarah says: \u201cBentley Priory, which was the headquarters of Fighter Command during the Second World War, is a really good place for coming to understand the Dowding System \u2013 this was the integrated air defence system in which many of the WAAF worked. They have the actual rooms in which these women worked, with lots of fascinating objects, maps and things that you can look at. It\u2019s a very good museum.\u201d<\/p>\n Find out more<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Sarah says: \u201cThere\u2019s also the Battle of Britain bunker in Uxbridge, which is exactly what it sounds like \u2013 it\u2019s a bunker underground, so again quite atmospheric. There\u2019s an actual operations room there too, which is very handy for helping to provide an idea of what this system was, how it functioned and the role the WAAF played within it.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a really good idea to go to Bentley Priory first then Uxbridge\u2019 bunker because you can get that sense of how they connect to each other and how the system kind of worked as a whole.\u201d<\/p>\nImperial War Museum, London<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
Imperial War Museum, Duxford<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
Bentley Priory Museum, Stanmore<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
Battle of Britain Bunker, Uxbridge<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n