07/04/2026
Time for reflection.
As we exit the Easter period, following what has been a particularly challenging year, I find myself reflecting and feel that now is the appropriate time to share this with you all.
Many of you are aware that the museum began as a private collection and has grown significantly over time.
However, what is perhaps less widely known is the full story behind its origins. Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Steve, and I served as an RAF firefighter for over 36 years, a role that I truly loved. It was a career that allowed me to combine my two greatest passions, firefighting and aviation. I have also held a lifelong interest in history and collecting. From a young age, I was already building a wartime collection, which eventually grew so large that it expanded beyond my bedroom and into my parents’ garage. When this collection was featured in the local newspaper, it received a great deal of interest, and it was at that point that my passion for sharing history with others truly began.
I joined the RAF in 1983. After completing both my basic and trade training, my wife gifted me a small model fire engine, a Siku airfield crash tender, as a celebratory present. Despite her protests, I still maintain that everything that followed is ultimately her fault. That single model quickly became two, then four, then ten, and before long had developed into a substantial collection that outgrew the small military flat we were living in at the time.
As word spread about my collection, I began to receive offers of additional items, including my first historical helmet. My interest in firefighting artefacts continued to grow, eventually leading to the opportunity to purchase my first fire engine. We seized that opportunity, and, as you might expect, one engine soon led to another, and then another. Upon our return to the UK following an overseas posting, the museum was born.
The museum flourished for many years as the Manston Fire Museum, named after our location. We soon outgrew this location and set up a second museum site in Scampton, Lincolnshire. When the time was right we closed our site at Manston and relocated the entire collection to the Scampton site, we later became The Museum of RAF Firefighting with over 3000 models, over 400 helmets, 20,000 exhibits and 61 fire engines. We later became a registered charity dedicated to preserving the legacy of RAF firefighting. We were building a great following and entered the top 5 places to visit in Lincoln on trip advisor! But sadly this stalled when the decision was made to close RAF Scampton and we were forced to relocate, we moved to Gainsborough and then to Scunthorpe where we again began to make a name for ourselves, then Covid hit, and again we had to move, this time to make way for PPE stores.
Sadly this time we were unable to find a suitable home and were forced into storage. We continue our work to preserve and restore military firefighting history while searching and hoping for a forever home for the museum.
Easter is an especially fitting time to reflect on all that we have to be grateful for. Throughout this journey, we have been supported by an exceptional group of volunteers who have generously given their time, skills, and expertise to help bring our vision to life. Some are sadly no longer with us, and their absence is felt deeply.
Today, we continue to be supported by a strong and dedicated volunteer base, for which I am profoundly grateful. Whether through their practical skills, knowledge, time, or simply their encouragement during challenging moments, each contribution has been invaluable.
I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to our trustees and committee members. Your dedication and hard work behind the scenes often go unseen, but they are never unappreciated.
To our supporters, your donations, feedback, willingness to share our work and, most importantly, your belief in our vision, have been vital to our progress. Without you, we would not be where we are today. We can’t name you individually as this would take too long, but please take this as a thank you to each and every one of you.
On a more personal note, my family and I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has supported us through the past few incredibly difficult years, including the loss of our daughter, and this last year as our wonderfully brave grandson continues his courageous fight against a brain tumour. I have always said that the fire service is a family, and over recent years we have truly felt the strength and compassion of that family . For that, we thank you sincerely.
We remain committed to securing a future for the museum and are deeply appreciative of your continued support and generosity. It truly makes a difference. Thank you.
