Barry's first encounter with Witchford Aerodrome came when it was, for a time, a child’s playground for Barry and his friends. Even then, the eerily empty area made an impression. As an adult he was involved in setting up a temporary War Years exhibition in Ely Museum, and this triggered an interest consolidated by his involvement in the excavation of a crashed Lancaster at the nearby village of Coveney. An engine from the crash became the centrepiece of the burgeoning collection, housed, through the generosity of the owners of what had become the Lancaster Way Business Park, in the foyer of one of their buildings. With the unfailing support of his wife Sue, a strong force in her own right, and volunteers and enthusiasts, the Collection is now known to supporters all over the world.