Two local brothers are aiming to have a rare WWII Lancaster flying over our skies again soon. Harry Measures investigates
D
uring the war, the roaring sound of Merlin engines over the rolling Lincolnshire countryside was frequent – fighters by day and bombers by night. Thanks to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight based at RAF Coningsby, we still get to hear those evocative sounds from time to time as Spitfires, Hurricanes and a Lancaster take to the skies for various flying engagements. The symbol of Bomber Command, the Memorial Flight’s Lancaster is the only airworthy model in the UK. But that number could be doubled thanks to the dedication of two Lincolnshire brothers determined to see another Lancaster in British skies. At a small family-owned museum at a former World War Two airfield located just an hour’s drive from Stamford, in East Kirkby, Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre was founded in 1988 by two farmer brothers, Fred and Harold Panton. They acquired Avro Lancaster ‘Just Jane’, NX611, in 1983 as a tribute to their fallen brother, Christopher Panton, a flight engineer serving with the Royal Canadian Air Force 433 Squadron who was shot down during a raid over Nuremberg on the night of 30/31 March, 1944 – later dubbed ‘Black Friday’ due to the terrible losses incurred. The Panton brothers had also purchased the former site of RAF East Kirby in 1981, which flew Lancasters from 57 and 630 squadrons from 1943 to the close of the war in Europe. NX611 was built in April 1945 and was originally destined for the RAF’s Tiger Force, the group selected to fight in the Pacific. This never materialised though, due to Japan surrendering earlier than expected. This meant that NX611 did not see any active service in World War Two and was subsequently placed into storage,
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