Heritage centre prepares for War in the Air

A COMMEMORATIVE event will be held in August to mark Montrose Air Station’s role in the First World War.

War in the Air takes place at Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre on the weekend of August 12 and will see the unveiling of a hand-built BE2 aircraft, of the kind flown by intrepid pilot Lt Harvey Kelly.

The Royal Flying Corps pilot of No 2 Squadron flew one of the aircraft from Montrose to France in 1913 and was hailed as the “first in France”. The replica BE2 is complete after hundreds of hours of work by volunteers and will be unveiled before an invited audience on August 12.

This will be done by the station’s honorary president, Air Marshal Sir David Walker, who will be joined by relatives of men who flew from the station in wartime and serving members of today’s No 2 Squadron.

The First in France project has been supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Museums and Galleries Scotland, Angus Council, and the Robertson Trust.

Centre curator Dr Daniel Paton said: “This project involved establishing a new centre dedicated to the history of aviation during the First World War, the Lt J Ross Robertson Building, and building a replica of the aircraft flown by Lt Harvey Kelly.”

Free entry will be available on August 12 and 13, with activities planned for all ages.