Avro Lancaster NX611LE-C

Avro Lancaster Just Jane, NX611 LE-C. There is continual talk of getting this Lancaster back into flying condition. The Lancaster Just Jane has a long and chequered career but is now in the hands of the brothers Paton and, along with the rest of the museum at The Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre, East Kirkby. The Lancaster and the museum are a tribute to the airmen who gave their lives in the bombing campaign. They need help to keep the museum going and to get Just Jane into the air. Pay them a visit, support them, make it happen.

One memory I brought away from my visit is the ease with which you can recognise the real veterans. Not just by age, or infirmity. Just look them in the eye. If you don't already, you'll quickly come to know the difference.

3rd November 1944, a canon shell from a Me110 came through the side of the cockpit. The gun turrets were put out of action, the pilot badly wounded. They pressed on.

They were attacked again, this time by a FW190 and further serious damage was done, the navigator was killed outright and the WOP suffered fatal injuries. The flight engineer was wounded and the pilot was hit again. He pressed on. The aeroplane suffered more damage, losing a major part of the starboard tailplane, but they reached the target.

Eventually they made it back to England without further damage, landing at RAF Shipdham in Norfolk. Acting Flt. Lt. William Reid VC.