The Churchill Trust
Museums & Institutions - London, England, United Kingdom
The Churchill Trust Employees
The Churchill Trust Details
‘Standing on the shoulders of giants'The Churchill Trust encourages the study of science and technology by showing working examples of British inventions to inspire a new generation to follow in the footsteps of pioneering engineers, mathematicians and scientists. We believe that pupils will find it much more inspiring to learn if they can see examples of what can be done with the knowledge. Tanks, military aircraft and racing cars are of immediate and striking interest to youngsters – especially if they can be seen working and being worked upon. Our focus is on how technology moves most rapidly in response to pressing need which the 20th century presented in two different ways. War was the first and most demanding. Internal combustion engines, the jet engine and rockets evolved during war, as did electronics in radio, radar and computing. Medicine and chemistry too saw great leaps forward under pressure of global conflict. Another 20th century forcing house for British technological advances was motor racing – and it remains so today. The internal combustion engine and the means to improve its performance had much to do with motor racing almost from the birth of the motor car. These engines, of course, played their part in war too – in aircraft, tanks, ships and submarines. They were advanced and improved to meet demands that cars and racing never presented. The science of fuel and materials and the technology of suspension, transmission and aerodynamics also advanced through competition as well as war. These machines will teach another lesson too: history. The story of much of the 20th century can be illustrated with the machines that responded to mechanised warfare and helped to shape the course of two world wars and countless other conflicts. We also commemorate the bravery of those who fought with these machines and in doing so preserve part of our national heritage in working form.
