The 8th Air Force Heritage Gallery is the most significant addition to Old Buckenham Airfield since the opening of the 453rd Bombardment Group Museum in 2015.

 

Constructed over the course of 2017 by the museum curator, James Clarey and a small band of volunteers, this new gallery tells the personal stories of US Servicemen and women who were based in East Anglia during WWII, serving as part of the 8th Air Force.

 

Part of the 453rd Bombardment Group Museum, the Gallery houses exhibits which have been collected by James over the last 35 years.

 

The Gallery serves as a tribute to the sacrifices made by members of the United States Army Air Forces, especially the 8th Air Force, of which the 453rd Bombardment Groups was a part.

 

In the Gallery you will find a reconstruction of a US Army Post Exchange. All bases had these and the replica is of the type you would have seen at Old Buckenham Airfield during the 453rd Bombardment Group's tenure during the war. Post Exchanges enabled US Personnel to purchase toiletries, stationary etc, to make their stay more tolerable.

 

The Gallery is also home to the 453rd Bomb Group Photographic and Document Archive which can be available to view by prior appointment.