News

New photo album: The Bannerman collection

Fun with flags!

‘Simply superb’ – buying the C-130H Hercules

Grid: The Life and Times of First World War Fighter Ace Keith Caldwell by Adam Claasen

‘A Valley of Hell’ – Ian Anstey in the Battle of France

Military silk and resourceful fashion during World War Two

Comprised of clothing, textiles, personal effects, memorabilia and more, the museum’s non-technical collections help tell personal stories associated with the military. This blog highlights some of the remarkable garments that were made by utilising unrequired World War Two materials. We know a lot about some of them, for others information is limited. The fabric at the heart of all these garments is silk.

Resources became increasingly scarce during the war and with silk favoured as a military material, it was unavailable for dressmaking. The following examples show how military silk was repurposed for civilian clothing. Silk was used early in the war, but as supplies became limited rayon was used; in this blog the term ‘silk’ is used to describe items that could have been made from silk or rayon.

An album of memories: ‘Kiwi’ Beamish DSC

Our latest personal photo album features striking images belonging to fighter pilot Harold ‘Kiwi’ Beamish.

How to research your family history online

The right people at the right time: The RNZAF mission to Rwanda in 1994

Queen’s Colour retires to the Air Force Museum