First UK Museum to be allowed to exhibit in France's most impressive location - Les Invalides, Central Paris.

 The first UK Museum to be allowed to exhibit in France’s most impressive location - Les Invalides, Central Paris.

On behalf of the RAF (The Royal Air Force was formed on the battlefields of France during WWI, which was 100 years ago this year).and also the French Air Force (Armée de l’Air). The Yorkshire Air Museum has been commissioned to undertake a display with full sized aircraft celebrating over 100 years of close co-operation between the two air forces at Les Invalides in the centre of Paris from 24th until 28th May 2018.

Les Invalides is the famous 17th century hospital, courtyard and cathedral built by Louis XIV, and home to the tomb of Napoleon and some of France's top museums.

The Yorkshire Air Museum based at Elvington near York is also the European accredited Allied Air Forces Memorial and is situated on an original RAF Bomber Command base near York, which was the home of the only two French Heavy Bomber Squadrons of WW2 with over 2300 French airmen based there. 

Predominantly because of this unique French connection, the Museum has extensive experience in organising exhibitions and transporting historic aircraft both across France and Great Britain. It will be transferring a restored British biplane fighter of the type which was first used in WW1 in 1914 (Royal Aircraft Factory BE2) to be displayed along with the Museum’s Anglo/French exhibition and a 1916 French SPAD VII fighter on loan from the Conservatoire d'Aquitaine in Bordeaux.  They will create an evocative display reflecting the earliest days of British and French military cooperation in air defence.

Museum Director, Ian Reed ONM FRAeS, comments: "This will be the first time that a UK museum, indeed any Museum, has undertaken a display of this kind in perhaps the most prestigious location in France, where many occasions of State take place.

We are very privileged to be asked by the Royal Air Force and French Air Force to assist in bringing to fruition this unique celebration of over 100 years of co-operation between the two country's air forces, especially in this year of RAF100

The ties which bind our two countries remain strong, even as ‘Brexit’ looms and I am sure will remain so into the future".

Mr. Reed also thanks the French authorities "They have gone out of their way to be helpful and I am very grateful to them for their support to us, especially a foreign museum in one of the most renowned buildings in France.”