Second World War bomber returns home for 80th anniversary
The Avro Lancaster performed flypasts over Broughton, North Wales, alongside Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane fighters before landing at the Airbus wing building factory on Friday evening.
The aircraft was built in May 1945 during the Broughton site's early years as a shadow factory for manufacturing bombers.
The Lancaster PA474, which is owned and operated by the RAF's Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, was the star of the recent VE Day celebrations, leading the ceremonial flypast over London.
The Officer Commanding the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, Squadron Leader Mark Sugden, said: 'Our flying season so far this year has been memorable with the VE Day celebrations, but this is one of the highlights of the year in a visit that takes our incredible aircraft back to her birthplace.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
RAF Waddington personnel to parade through Lincoln centre
More than 100 RAF personnel will march through Lincoln to exercise their freedom of the city awarded the honour to RAF Waddington in 1959 as a mark of respect and appreciation for their parade will take place on 26 June, starting at 11:30 BST from St Martin's Square and making its way down the high Fenn, civic and international partnerships manager, said: "We are proud to celebrate this special relationship every year." The RAF band will perform as the procession passes under the Stonebow before pausing at the war memorial just after 11:35 will be a flypast from the Red Arrows at 11:40 BST, organiser said.A reading by radio presenter Melvyn Prior will take place at the war memorial before the parade continues through the Cornhill Quarter, finishing in City Square where the march will end at about 12:00 closures will be in place throughout the morning. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
BBC News
3 days ago
- BBC News
Mull of Kintyre Chinook crash children 'demand answers' from MoD
Children of those killed in an RAF Chinook helicopter crash in 1994 on the Mull of Kintyre have said they are "determined to get answers" from the Ministry of Defence about how their parents Major Gary Sparks, whose family is based in Hampshire, was among 29 people killed in the crash. His daughter Lucy Sparks, 33, said: "We need to get to the bottom of what happened."Campaigners want a public inquiry and documents sealed by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for 100 years to be MoD said: "The Mull of Kintyre crash was a tragic accident and our thoughts and sympathies remain with the families, friends and colleagues of all those who died." Lucy Sparks was two years old when her father, who was serving with the the Royal Artillery, died in the crash. "I have no first hand memories of him," she said."Family photos are a treasure, through them and anecdotes from my older sister and mother I have been able to build up a picture of my dad." "Missing out on your dad being there for all those events in childhood and into adulthood is really hard, the grief will never go away." The crash on 2 June 1994 remains one of the RAF's worst peacetime losses of life. The helicopter was carrying leading security personnel from RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland to a conference at Fort George near Inverness, pilots accused of negligence over the disaster were exonerated 17 years year a BBC documentary highlighted safety concerns about the aircraft and revealed that documents relating to the crash would not be released until 2094. The solicitor representing the Chinook Justice Campaign, Mark Stephens, claimed there was enough evidence to convince the families that there was "a failure by the MoD to apply appropriate safeguards in order to protect the passengers and crew".He added: "That is why we are seeking a judicial review into the government's failure to hold a public inquiry - which the families have sought for more than a year."Lucy's sister, Esme Sparks, who was seven at the time of the crash, said: "We are furious that the government and the MoD is [sic] refusing to listen or to meet us." Speaking from her home in Preston Candover, near Basingstoke, Maj Sparks widow, Sue Angus, said: "I want openness and accountability. I want to know exactly what happened that night and I want to know why."The MoD said the closed records held at the National Archives contained personal information relating to third party individuals and the early release of that information would breach their data protection said it "takes the safety of all personnel extremely seriously, to ensure that our equipment operates at the highest standards we put safety right at the heart of our procurement activities".A spokesperson added: ""We have received a pre-action protocol letter from the Chinook Justice Campaign and are considering our response. "Therefore, it would be inappropriate to comment further."
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Telegraph
Peacocks terrorising village renowned for its Spitfire pilots history
Residents of a village famous for its Spitfire pilot training history have claimed that peacocks are attacking their cars. Hibaldstow, in North Lincolnshire, has found itself menaced by nearly 30 peacocks, with cars being attacked after some birds attempted to fight their reflection in the paint or polished bumpers. Gardens and graves have been damaged, while residents have complained that the birds make loud noises at anti-social times. RAF Hibaldstow, where many Second World War Spitfire pilots trained, closed in 1947 but the long runways are intact and the airfield is used by police as a skidpan, model plane enthusiasts and a skydiving business. Last June, the North Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre reopened there after a refurbishment, where visitors can explore the airfield command bunker, see military vehicles up close and join guided tours. The peacocks have been a part of village life since the 1960s, but now some residents are concerned about the increasing population. Les Gladwell, 75, a former shopkeeper in the village, recently opened his curtains and counted 18 peacocks in his garden. He said: 'They have absolutely ruined the garden, eating everything in sight, and they also attack my car. 'Because it's dark-coloured, the male birds see their own reflections in it and attack themselves. The pecking and scratching has caused a lot of damage. 'I often look out and see them surrounding the car with a couple sitting on top of it. I have to bang on the window with my shoes to scare them off. 'They are beautiful birds, and it's nice to see them strutting around the village for some, but it's become too much.' Sarah Filby said she kept a close eye on her five-year-old son when he went into the garden to play football. She said: 'When he was two, he found himself cornered by a peahen with chicks. They become very territorial and can be aggressive, so it was really worrying to see him trapped by them. 'I went out and managed to steer them away from him, and now he's a little bigger he's learning how to handle them himself. 'He goes out with his arms held wide and will usually manage to shoo them away, but I have to keep an eye on him and make sure he's safe. 'The numbers seem to have been growing year on year, and there's no doubt they can be a problem. 'They block the main road and drivers don't know what to do. They beep their horns at them, which just causes the peacocks to stand their ground and squawk back at the cars. 'We've had them wander into the house before, which was interesting. It's not easy to persuade a peacock they need to leave. 'I've spoken to environmental health about them, but they say they're wild birds, just like pigeons. I had to point out that they are definitely not just like pigeons.' David Stothard, a parish councillor, said could see the problems but did not think Hibaldstow would ever get rid of the birds. He said: 'There was a meeting in the village hall to discuss the issue, with one lady suggesting we needed to reduce the numbers, and it was attended by about 60 people. 'The conclusion was that the peacocks would be staying but she was welcome to move on if she wanted to.'
