Inspired by The Masters of the Air, book & TV series. These tours are based on the 8th Army in East Anglia. The ‘Friendly Invasion’ of the region
Returning Home
‘we can not thank you enough, our visit to Norfolk to see where my father was based in 1942. Everyone is so friendly, we feel like we have come home’
RG
In 1942 East Anglia experienced a ‘friendly invasion’, which brought over 80,000 service personnel to the region. For many, it was their first time away from their family and country. A number of them never returned and some of the ones that returned did so with wives.
Our Masters of the Air tours are small and intimate with a max number of 12 on any tour.
This enables us to adapt tours for special family visits to sites of interest.
A number of the museums we visit are run by volunteers who have a special passion for keeping the stories of the service personnel alive. We always try to help connect families to these wonderful people.
Each story helps us to understand more, of what air and ground crews experienced during their time in East Anglia
Why Choose Cheryl Cades Tours?
Local knowledge
Why choose Cheryl Cade Tours?
The local knowledge of the guides is very special. All the guides have family memories of this period in East Anglia’s history.
They also know the hidden places, such as the only remaining gates that mark the site of a runway or the link between a brewery and a bomb dump.
We also include in our tours the rich culture of East Anglia’s food and drink scene, alongside 14th Century churches that witness many marriages
We can even recommend places to stay like the 13th Century Maids Head Hotel, or dine such as the Assembly House
Example itinerary
Day 1
Collection from your hotel in our private hire vehicle (max 12 people)
Thorpe Abbotts home of the ‘Bloody 100th’
Lunch with locally sourced produce
Old Buckingham Air Field (453rd) & refreshments
Return to Norwich via Seething (448th) & a brewery visit
Evening meal at Briton Arms a pre-1507 building
Day 2
Norwich Airport Museum (458th)
Rackheath (467th) & refreshments
Light lunch
Langham Dome / Muckleburgh Collection
Return to Norwich via a local pub for an evening meal
Day 3
Cambridgeshire & Duxford
Light lunch
Cambridge & Eagle Inn
Return to Norwich via a local pub for an evening meal
Additional days and tours can be added, including tours of Tudor Norwich or Gin
Please note the above itineraries are samples and subject to availability
Costs from £260* per person per day
(based on a min of 4 people)
*Veterans & their Families. If you are visiting your or your ancestors’ Air Base, please contact us directly. Unlike other tours, we honour the ethos of the museums we visit and do not charge families or veterans entrance fees to visit their ‘Home Bases’.
If the family wishes to leave a donation to the museum or the association they can do that on the day.
