Warbirds Worldwide Archive Saved
Earlier today volunteers from the museum travelled to a location in North Nottinghamshire and collected a significant amount of aviation archive material from the family of the late Paul Coggan.
Aviation enthusiasts from around the globe will remember Paul Coggan as the publisher of the iconic Warbirds Worldwide series of aviation publications. The archive material had been stored by his family since he passed away, and save for the vigilance of a former Assistant Editor of the Journal, who contacted the museum from his home in Australia, it could have been lost.
In recent times this collection of aviation archive material had been offered to several other UK based organisations, who did not show any interest in securing its future. This has now been saved due to prompt attention from the museum volunteers, who operated within the current Covid-19 guidelines and maintained social distancing and Covid-Secure procedures at all times.
As well as thousands of photographs and colour transparencies, other material rescued included: original article submissions c/w photographs and many copies of the Warbirds Worldwide publications.
Much of the material from the Paul Coggan Collection will join the Newark Air Museum Archive, and in the fullness of time the museum may try to repatriate any identifiable author submissions to the original source. Given the volume of material and the current Covid-19 situation this will take a long time and we would ask that people be patient whilst this collection is evaluated.
With the blessing of the family some of the printed publications will be used for fund raising purposes by the museum.