Hayley, head of Leisure & Information Services at the Town Council, recently paid a visit with members of her family to this military museum, situated at Lyneham, approximately 40 minutes drive from Trowbridge – here’s what she thought . . .
Visiting the REME museum, based at Lyneham, with my daughter who is 9 and my nieces aged 7 and 4 was a very nostalgic couple of hours for me. My dad served in the RAF and one of his postings was to Lyneham itself: as a child, and into my teenage years, we spent many occasions on the base for family events, at one time actually flying in the back of a C-130 Hercules transport plane. We have spent time over the years sharing photos and memories with the family, but this visit allowed us to explain things much more clearly.
The reception area was welcoming and open and also housed a wonderful gift shop for all ages, ranging from pocket money prices upwards. Topically, there was also an interactive trail of Olympic Torches hidden around the museum to celebrate the Olympics. A special exhibition in the first part of the museum celebrated military Olympians, and on display was a Rio Olympic jacket. The museum, was bright, open and informative and completely interactive for all ages. Also, the vehicles on display are amazing – the children couldn’t believe how big they were in real life.
Unfortunately, some of the activities were unable to take place due to Covid-19 restrictions, however once these are open again, I would definitely pay another visit. The Museum has an educational room with workshops parents can book to attend.
The outside park was great and themed in line with the military: in fact, the kids could have spent hours playing. Adjacent to the park is a military gym trail for the older ones, which again allowed them the freedom to roam and play.
They have a coffee shop on site, but unfortunately it was shut and didn’t allow us to have a coffee and grab some lunch for the children, which meant we cut our visit shorter than we would have done otherwise.
You don’t have to be a military family to enjoy the Museum, but I would definitely suggest a visit . . . and with it being so local, even better!
