The Medmenham Collection at RAF Wyton
RAF Medmenham
During the Second World War, Danesfield House near Medmenham, Buckinghamshire became the unlikely headquarters of Allied Photographic Intelligence. RAF Medmenham was the home of the Central Interpretation Unit (CIU), which evolved into the Allied Central Interpretation Unit (ACIU) with the addition of American personnel.
The Medmenham Collection's ‘Life at Medmenham’ display at RAF Wyton; image courtesy Jane Taylor, the Medmenham Collection and RAF Wyton Heritage
Photographic reconnaissance and its interpretation became a vital asset to winning the war, not only providing information on enemy activities but also for identifying targets for bombing and the assessment of reconstruction efforts. Millions of images were created and then interpreted at Danesfield House by highly skilled men and women from a variety of professional backgrounds.
How did the Medmenham Collection arrive at RAF Wyton?
After the war concluded, a selected number of the prints, mapping and documents accumulated over the years at Danesfield House were discreetly taken home by some of the Photographic Interpreters (PIs) who had worked with the material.
Medmenham Collection material stored in archive boxes at RAF Wyton; image courtesy Jane Taylor, the Medmenham Collection and RAF Wyton Heritage
In 1946, the Medmenham Club (now the Medmenham Association) was founded to help PIs who had worked at RAF Medmenham during the Second World War stay connected and preserve the camaraderie they enjoyed during their service. The club’s first president was Hugh Hamshaw Thomas, a Wing Commander at Medmenham and world renowned palaeobotanist at the University of Cambridge in peacetime.
Rolled archives and other material at the Medmenham Collection; image courtesy Jane Taylor, the Medmenham Collection and RAF Wyton Heritage
The founding of this group encouraged the PIs to collate their material and create somewhere to house it – the Medmenham Collection. The Collection was previously held at RAF Brampton before being moved to RAF Wyton some years ago. Some of the Collection is now also held at the Military Intelligence Museum at Chicksands, the Muckleburgh Collection near Cromer, and the Imperial War Museum at Duxford. Many of the images of PIs at work with reconnaissance imagery found on the National Collection of Aerial Photography (NCAP) website are courtesy of the Medmenham Collection and our ongoing collaboration.
Officers of 'T' Section (responsible for collating ground intelligence and producing target folders) at RAF Medmenham; courtesy the Medmenham Collection
What is housed at the Collection?
The Collection holds approximately 26,000 catalogued items, including scale rubber models of area targets, flight logs, and maps all relating to the ACIU. Some of these fascinating items include handwritten interview notes from journalist and writer Constance Babington Smith, who conducted interviews with her colleagues from the ACIU, and notebooks from Cambridge Professor, Glyn Daniel, containing notes he made during his photographic interpretation training.
Rubber Model of Sword Beach; image courtesy Jane Taylor, the Medmenham Collection and RAF Wyton Heritage
RAF Wyton does not just hold material relating to the ACIU but has also received war-time memorabilia from the First World War to the Cold War. Wyton’s on-site Heritage Centre displays a very interesting exhibition of some of this vast amount of information and memorabilia, spanning the First World War up to the early 2000s.
Blackboard detailing the first sortie of the Second World War flown from RAF Wyton; image courtesy Jane Taylor, the Medmenham Collection and RAF Wyton Heritage
The first aerial reconnaissance mission of the Second World War was flown from RAF Wyton on 3rd September 1939 by Flying Officer Andrew McPherson in a Bristol Blenheim over Wilhelmshaven. This mission resulted in 75 frames, the first of millions that were eventually collected throughout the course of the war, making photographic reconnaissance a key intelligence sources for the Allies.
Jane Taylor, Metadata Assistant
ACIU Collection The Medmenham Association
The Medmenham Collection - external
The Medmenham team at RAF Wyton have regular ‘archive days’ where tours with their dedicated and knowledgeable volunteers can be easily arranged. This can be done by contacting Tim Fryer through their website.
