History of the AVRO Lancaster Bomber
The Avro Lancaster holds special memories for the wartime crews who flew in them, to people in occupied countries they became a symbol of hope and of ultimate victory. To those not old enough to have witnessed them in quantity, it is left to the imagination as to what it must have been like in those dark days. Described by Air Chief Marshall Sir Arthur Harris (C in C Bomber Command 1941---1945) as the "Shining sword in the hands of Bomber Command Crews", we can only live in ore of their splendour and majesty through museums or …can we!
The Avro Lancaster came about as a result of an Air Ministry specification in 1936 P13.36. Originally designated the Type 679 later to be called the Manchester powered by two Vulture engines. Destined to failure due mainly to the Vulture engines, which had been rushed into service before development was fully completed. Avro realised that the Vultures had to be abandoned and the design dramatically modified. By 1940 the first designs for a 4 engine aircraft powered by the then proven Merlin engine began to emerge, Annotated the Type 683 (Lancaster 1), immediately Avro new that they had a winner, the rest is history.
Of a total production of 7,377 aircraft 430 were built in Canada, 3,349 failed to return from operations. Set against that was 156,308 sorties undertaken, almost half of the total carried out by Bomber Command. Today the number of Aircraft that have survived is constantly put into question by new discoveries and the dedication of preservationists throughout the world. In Great Britain we are fortunate to have one Air worthy example PA474 flying with the Battle of Britain memorial Flight based at R.A.F Conningsby Lincolnshire, also there is NX611 which is capable of taxiing at The Lincolnshire Heritage centre East Kirby Lincolnshire. In Canada they too have a splendid flying example FM213 a Mk.X flying with the Canadian Warplane Heritage based at Hamilton Ontario. Of the remaining examples, some 24 major components or complete aircraft appear to have survived into the millennium and this number may well increase as information from Russia and Canada begins to unfold and long forgotten hulks are being rediscovered and salvaged for restoration.
