Stik, I couldn't agree more. Seeing the American War Memorial at Duxford for the first time had a profound effect on me and it still does. My father flew, amongst other things, Yorks which, as you know, were the passenger / freight version of the Lancaster, if I am visiting Cosford or Duxford I usually try to see the Yorks - the one at Cosford being the only complete one. There is a lovely Lancaster being rebuilt at the RAAF Museum, Bullcreek, West Australia - it may even be complete by now.
I have spent quite a bit of time sitting in the Lancaster gate-guardian at RAF Scampton
Oooooh! Now I'm really envious. The Hurricane and Spitfire are both great aircraft in their own right but somehow just lack the sheer elegance of the Lancaster. The bravery and skill of ALL those wartime pilots, whatever they flew, is unquestionable and absolutely incredible.
This is just one panel of the memorial at Duxford. Each aircraft represents one aircraft of that type and its crew lost in WW2. It is the most thought-provoking, superbly designed memorial I know of; the other is the memorial to all the female pilots of WW2 which is located at Elvington and is, as far as I am aware, the only one of its kind.
