Avro Lancaster

This is the imposing front view of the Avro Lancaster at the RAF Museum Hendon. The Lancaster is familiar as one third of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, usually seen flanked by a Spitfire and a Hurricane, and as the aircraft used in the “dambuster” raids on the Ruhr valley dams in 1943. Powered by 4 RR Merlin engines, it has a highly distinctive sound and a graceful, almost gravity defying presence in the air. It was a stunningly manoeuvrable aircraft for its size and type (heavy bomber). The fascination these aircraft held for me as young boy has been tempered in later years by awareness of the lives lost, both in the air and on the ground. The average age of the young men who flew these planes was only 22, almost 50% of whom lost their lives. For the definitive account of this remarkable aircraft, its brave aircrew and the pivotal role they played in turning the tide of the war, please watch the award winning 2022 documentary “Lancaster”, produced by my friend Keith Haviland and narrated by Charles Dance.