Name/Title
Lancaster Bomber, RCAF, Yorkshire, U.K. in WartimeEntry/Object ID
2001.02.04Description
Print
This image depicts the Lancaster or Avro Lancaster, the most successful strategic heavy bomber that was used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) during the latter half of World War II. Of the total of 7,377 Lancasters built, 430 Lancaster Mk.X's were built in Canada by Victory Aircraft Limited (Malton, Ontario), with production reaching one aircraft per day. As they were received in England, the Lancasters were assigned to No. 6 Group, the RCAF component of Bomber Command.Artwork Details
Medium
Reproduction print on paperSubject Place
Region
Western EuropeContinent
EuropeContext
At the start of the Second World War II, hundreds of Canadians were serving with Bomber Command in the RAF and Canadian involvement grew dramatically as the war progressed. Training of large numbers of aircrew in Canada by the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan was undertaken, and one third of all Bomber Command aircrew were Canadian.
In October of 1942, No.6 Group of Bomber Command was created to be completely manned by Canadians and at the end of the war it had grown to fourteen squadrons. No. 6 Group flew close to 41,000 operational sorties such as raids on U-boat bases in France and industrial complexes in Germany. Eight thousand decorations for bravery were awarded to No. 6 Group aircrew. The group operated out of airfields in Yorkshire, England flying a variety of aircraft including the Lancaster.
______________________
The Lancaster bomber got its name from Lancaster, the county town for Lancashire where most of the production was done. The Avro Lancaster design with four Rolls Royce Merlin engines was an improvement upon the previous twin engine Vulture engine Avro Manchester bomber.
Regarded as “a pilot’s airplane", the aircraft could reach speeds of 450 kph, had an impressive haulage capacity, and its long bomb bay could accommodate the largest bombs. Crew conditions were rough. The haulage capacity meant a sacrifice of armour plating, so crews were more vulnerable to enemy fire, as well as the cold. Today there are 17 known surviving Lancaster bombers in the world, including eight in Canada, but only two of the 17 are able to fly.
The plane was immortalized in the 1955 film 'The Dambusters" which recreates the true story of Operation Chastise when in 1943 the RAF's 617 Squadron attacked the Möhne, Eder, and Sorpe dams in Nazi Germany's industrial heartland, the Ruhr Valley, with Barnes Wallis's bouncing bombs. Some 20% of the 133 aircrew flying the 19 specially adapted Lancaster bombers were Canadian. Also, in 1944, off Norway, Lancaster bombers sank the Tirpitz, the largest Bismarck-class warship built in Germany, that had threatened Allied Arctic shipping.
Note: Volunteers at the B.C. Aviation Museum at Victoria's International Airport are restoring a Victory Aircraft Ltd. WWII era Avro Lancaster FM 104. Work was initiated in 2018. The plan is to return it to original state as a static display only, as the engines are too damaged and the cost of their restoration is prohibitive. See Web Links below.Made/Created
Artist Information
Artist
UnknownRole
ArtistArtist
UnknownRole
PrintmakerDate made
n.d.Time Period
20th CenturyInscription/Signature/Marks
Type
LabelTranscription
Verso Lancaster Bomber / Royal Canadian Air Force/ Yorkshire. U.K. WartimeDimensions
Dimension Description
Visible imageHeight
45.7 cmWidth
71.1 cmAcquisition
Acquisition Method
GiftDate
2004Notes
Legacy collection
Plaque: Donated to the Union Club Of B.C. / Wartime by 407 “Demon” Squadron / F/O Ross Hamilton Royal Canadian Air Force / In Honour of his lovely wife Evelyn May Hamilton.
Donation letter on file.
