WACO CG-4 (Hadrian) at Carlisle Castle.
Found in May 1993 at High Casterton near Kirkby Lonsdale the museums plan to move to the new Alma Building within the outer ward of Carlisle Castle brought about the opportunity to start re-constructing part of an example of A WACO CG-4 Hadrian glider. Appropriate when you consider how close the museum is to Hadrian's Wall.
The 1st battalion Border Regiment were part of the 6th Airborne division during World Ward Two and were involved in operation HUSKY the allied invasion of Sicily July 1943 WACO CG-4 Hadrian were the primary gliders used in this operation.
Moving the museum to Alma block in the outer ward Carlisle Castle means that we now have the opportunity to restore the front section one of the few remaining WACO CG-4 Hadrian gliders in an attempt to preserve for future generations and example of the daring operations men ordinary men of the 
regiment went through in World War Two.
Hadrian gliders had no brakes and were stopped by digging the skids at the front into the ground. 500 WACO CG-4 Hadrian gliders were shipped in from the USA each glider being in 5 crates and assembled in North Africa. Field Marshall Montgomery decided to use gliders in preference to Parachutes to capture the Ponte Grande Bridge one of the main objectives of operation HUSKYas he was worried about landing paratroopers accurately at night.
Time was the problem and meant that the gliders were to be used for the operation instead of the larger British Horsa gliders. With in 3 months men who had only 8 hours training on Horsa gliders had to re-train for WACO gliders and for an operation that was going to take place at night.
On the evening of the 9thJuly 1943 136 WACO gliders took off for Syracuse Sicily, bad weather and just about anything else you could think of, lead to statistics such as out of 136 gliders that took off for Sicily 75 landed in the sea and over 300 officers and men from the Air Landing brigade and Glider pilot regiment drowned.
However the operation was successful in its objectives even with such tragic losses.
You can help remember this turning point in World War 2 history and the role played by the men of the 1at battalion Border Regiment and those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the liberation of Sicily and beginning of the long end of Hitler, Mussolini and the fascist regimes they commanded.
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Click Here To see an interview with Tony Goddard about the project.
If YOU are at all interested and think you can help by making a financial contribution in anyway please down load the Donation Form and return it to Cumbria's Military Museum, Queen Mary's Tower, The Castle, Carlisle Cumbria CA3 8UR.
Or Make an Online Donation (Redierects you to another Site) Any amount will help preserve the memory of this amazing piece of heritage and the sheer courage and bravery required to fly in and enter battle in a glider with no turning back there are no engines.
or 
text ALMA34 and the amount you wish to donate to 70070.
Early draft artists impression on the right of the proposed display of the restored WACO glider in the new museum in Alma block Carlisle Castle.