Volunteers at a military museum have condemned the National Trust for “evicting them” in order to convert a former RAF mortuary into a cafe. The dispute centres on the Ambulance Garage at RAF Defford Museum, located at National Trust-owned Croome Court in Worcestershire.
Background and volunteer investment
The building was integral in chronicling the history of RAF Defford, once considered as secret as Bletchley Park due to its work advancing airborne radar during World War Two. Defford Airfield Heritage Group (DAHG) moved to the premises in 2015 and invested up to £30,000 renovating the former Ambulance Garage and mortuary, transforming it from a derelict state into a museum attraction. The group also installed a Canberra fighter bomber cockpit to help demonstrate Britain’s involvement in the Cold War.
National Trust’s plans
The National Trust now intends to use part of the structure as a new “grab-and-go” cafe selling drinks and snacks. Mike Mullins, 78, who was among 50 volunteers before leaving in 2022 but remains a DAHG member, criticised the proposals. “The Heritage group spent thousands of pounds, faithfully restoring the Ambulance Garage/Mortuary from a dilapidated ruin, into its former wartime state, and making it a popular museum, whilst still showing due reverence to the dead airmen who passed through the building,” he said. “Now the National Trust are evicting the volunteers and their exhibits and plan to turn the building into a fast food outlet. The National Trust is a charity, which I think has lost sight of its founding principles and is behaving more like a hard money-making corporation. Their actions are unpatriotic and show disrespect to the dead airmen and their families.”
Museum’s significance and volunteer contributions
The museum welcomes approximately 50,000 visitors annually and operates with over 40 volunteers. Ian Quickfall, Vice Chairman of DAHG, explained the site’s importance: “The Defford Airfield Heritage Group is an organisation dedicated to telling the story of RAF Defford, which during World War Two was where the flight testing of airborne radar took place. It was probably the most secret place in the country along with Bletchley Park. The flying unit were based at RAF Defford and the scientists were based at Malvern College. In 2015 the DAHG, invited by the National Trust, established a museum in the old RAF airfield. The National Trust had this property, Croome Court, and a partnership was formed. We supplied them with experienced, knowledgeable volunteers. We trained them and handed them over to the National Trust for all the formalities of a membership.” He added that the centrepiece of the ambulance garage was a Canberra cockpit used as a trainer for RAF navigators, which was an attractive exhibit for younger visitors.
National Trust’s response
The National Trust stated it was eager to “optimise” the area the museum currently occupies. A spokesperson commented: “We’re currently making improvements to Croome’s car park and welcome area to better meet the needs of our visitors. Alongside the welcome area project, we have reviewed how we use the RAF Defford Museum space. We are fully committed to the Museum and sharing this important part of Croome’s history with visitors, and believe we now have an opportunity to refresh and optimise these spaces. The former ambulance garage building will continue to be a space where we share and interpret the RAF Defford story. In addition, we plan to introduce a take-away café counter which will help us meet the demand for refreshments and also generate much needed funds for the care and management of Croome.”
