London’s Royal Air Force Museum’s plans to develop its Grahame-White Factory building into a showcase for its World War I collections have received initial support of £74,500 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

The new exhibition, entitled the First Air War, is due to open in time for the centenary of the conflict in 2014.

A public participation project has already been launched in the shape of the 100 First Air War Objects online survey, which is inviting people to nominate items to be displayed.

A digitiation project is also underway which will make important historic documents from the First World War – such as casualty records and personnel lists – digitally available to the public.

Peter Dye, director of the RAF Museum, said: ‘Our new interpretation strategy will help people to learn about the importance of the first war in the air and to understand the lives of all those who participated.’