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LANCASTER X KB976 WILL BE A TRIBUTE TO CANADA'S AIRMEN
 REGULAR visitors to the War and Peace Show will be familiar
with the forward section of a Lancaster Bomber, which Jeremy Hall has
painstakingly reconstructed.
At this year's Show, Jeremy, from Egham, in Surrey, will be
displaying a second Lancaster, the last to fly operationally. The history of this
aircraft has been well documented.
Avro Lancaster X KB976 was built in Canada and shipped to
England in February 1945. She was fitted out for war, and scheduled to take
part in a bombing mission with 405 Pathfinder Squadron. But this was cancelled,
and soon afterwards the War ended.
Although she didn't take part in the Second World War, her
subsequent career marked her out as a uniquely historic aeroplane.
For Jeremy, the restoration project is a tribute to the
10,634 Canadians who died with Bomber Command during the War.
"By the time we get her to the War and Peace Show we will
have fitted more than 14,000 rivets," he said. "That's more than one for each of
those who died.
"We are restoring the front 35 feet of the aircraft using as
many genuine Lancaster parts as possible. For the last three years friends and
I have been bringing back parts from America and Canada in suitcases.
"In an ironic twist of fate our bags got lost on one
occasion and ended up in Germany. Who knows? It may not have been the first
time they'd flown over that country."
Other parts have been bought, swapped and cajoled from
enthusiasts all over the world. A few were even picked up from the site of a
crashed wartime Lancaster in which seven Canadians died. These include part of
a compass which would have been positioned right next to the pilot's knee.
The control column still has bullet holes from when its
original aircraft was relegated to a bombing range for target practice.
 The restoration project is taking place at the Brooklands
Museum, where KB976 is sandwiched between other historic aircraft, both military
and civil. Helping Jeremy are friends Wayne Pendle and Paul Byrne. Jeremy's son
Alex has adorned the fuselage with Royal Canadian Airforce artwork.
After the War KB976 was flown back to Canada and placed in
storage until 1948. She was modified for use as a search and reconnaissance
aircraft, then for area reconnaissance, surveying the northern territories.
Ten years later she was one of only three Lancasters fitted
out for Arctic reconnaissance, encouraged by the Americans who were afraid of
an attack across the North Pole by the Soviets. Her nose was extended to accommodate
sophisticated camera equipment and extra fuel tanks were fitted in the bomb
bays.
After 10 years she was decommissioned and transformed to a
water bomber, used to fight forest fires.
Once that career came to an end she was bought by an
enthusiast in Scotland, who later sold it to property magnate Charles Church,
killed when the Spitfire he was piloting crashed.
Then while awaiting restoration, she was irrevocably
damaged, following which essential bits of her were sold off. When Jeremy
learned the nose section was available he wasted no time. He bought it straight
away and fetched it back on his car trailer.
"When you are working on KB976 you really get a feel of how
it must have been for those Canadian airmen all that time ago," he said. "We
owe them so much. I hope this project will help ensure we never forget that."
The
2010 War and Peace Show will be held at The Hop Farm, Paddock Wood, from 21 to 25 July.
End.
For further information
contact Jacqui Curtis, Marketing Executive on 01622 870804 email
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or Peter Cook on 01795 536915/07796 172680
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.
More details at: www.thehopfarm.co.uk or www.thewarandpeaceshow.com.
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