Exhibition held for centenary of Montrose airfield A SPECIAL exhibition will be opened tomorrow at the start of the celebrations to the mark the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Britain's first operational military airfield on the Angus coast. And an exhibition, charting the history of the airfield - "Montrose's Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines" - will be officially opened at the air station's museum by Councillor Helen Oswald, the Provost of Angus, who will be accompanied by RAF airmen from 2 Squadron - the first squadron to be based at Montrose Councillor Oswald said: "It is a true honour to be asked to be asked to open this exhibition. In Angus, we are rightly proud of the ancient history of our county but this is an opportunity to celebrate our more recent - but equally fascinating - history by commemorating the pilots and aircraft of Montrose Air Station. The pilots, aircraft and support staff of Montrose Air Station, and the debt we owe them for their sacrifices in the lead up to and during both World Wars, should be remembered at all times - and especially throughout 2013, the 100th anniversary of the air station. Alan Doe, chair of Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre, said: "This exhibition will provide a fascinating insight into the history of Montrose Air Station, Britain's first operational military airfield. "The station was set up by the Royal Flying Corps" 2 Squadron in February 1913 and was one of the main training centres for Britain's World War l and World War ll pilots, as well as being a major air station during both World Wars. He added: "This exhibition launches our programme of special events commemorating 100 years of Montrose Air Station. Over the next few months, we expect thousands of people from across the UK and beyond to come along to Montrose Museum and to visit Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre. The exhibition features personal letters from pilots who trained at the base to their loved ones, original RAF uniforms and accounts of Spitfires flying off across the North Sea to protect Britain from German bombers. It also features a diorama providing a miniature 3D aerial view of Montrose Air Station as it was in 1940 and the cross from the grave in France of a British pilot who trained at Montrose and was killed in action in 1917. The bodies of many of the pilots who died on training flight are buried in Montrose's cemeteries and the the airfield is reputed to be one of the most haunted place in Britain. It is said to be haunted by the ghost of Lieutenant Desmond Arthur of the Royal Flying Corps, who was killed in 1913 when his biplane crashed at nearby Lunan Bay.