Lancaster biography

[avionic type]

Many moons ago I borrowed a comprehensive book on the Lancaster bomber it had everything in it the Air Force number, even to the build dates and the demise dates of every one built and it included the Manchester bomber , the question is does anyone know the title and publisher of this book , one of the many reasons it has stayed in my mind was the 100s of the bombers that were built went from the manufacturer to the M.U. onto the Squadron and were lost on their first raid , as we know some flogged on to reach 100 trips and beyond but these were very few and far between . this is just curiosity at the moment to prove I didn't dream it

[ZH875]

Could it be this one:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v604/ZH875/Lanc001-1.jpg

ISBN: 0 85130 107 X

[Brian Abraham]

avionic type, have a copy of the book, the name - author etc escapes me but will contact you in a months time when I get back home. Nothing on Amazon rings a bell. Unless someone pops up in the meantime.

[T-21]

Could it be "Lancaster-The Story of a Famous Bomber" by Bruce Robertson Harleyford Publications 1964. I remember this book from the sixties as a teenager and recently bought a good second hand copy for £20. Original asking price was 60/-. Covers the Manchester and Lancastrian.

http://dortch.supremeserver5.com/images/2006BOOKS/lancaster.JPG

[GOLF_BRAVO_ZULU]

Was it

http://i00.twenga.com/b/67/63/30616763vb.png

Amazon.co.uk: Books: Avro Lancaster: The Definitive Record (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/reader/1840372885/ref=sib_dp_ptu#reader-link)

Looking at my copy, it is as you describe it.

[SPIT]

Hi
Could it have been called "Luck and a Lancaster" by Patric Kivington. My copy has the fate of every known (in the 70s) Lancaster and the history of every A/C and the unit it was with at the end of it's life ???.:: ok::ok:

[avionic type]

Thanks chaps I will now know what to ask for for Xmas and wallow in nostalgia as I worked on the things when they lobbed in at Gibraltar on nav training flights in the early 50s from I think Shawbury? in Linconshire .
and before that on their civilian type the Lancastrian with B.O.A.C in the 40s
Oh dear I think I'm becoming a very old Geek.

[octavian]

No Sir, you are not a geek! Anybody who loves Lancasters is a total aviation person, to be honoured by Roger Bacon.

I wonder if the book might be Francis K Mason's "The Avro Lancaster" published by Aston in 1989 with a splendid cover painting by Michael Turner? As excellent in its own right as the Bruce Robertson book, albeit from a different era. The Robertson book is, I think, still the original definitive work, having been the first detailed history of the Lancaster, and is still the one that most other authors appear to use as the basis for their own works.

There are a large number of other books on the subject, some of which supplement or expand upon information in the primary reference works, and most of which I would also appear to own, but in my view these two the best reference sources. There are an awful number of mediocre works out there which owe more to plagiarism than research.

Going back to the Manchester the only definitive work is Dr Robert Kirby's work from 1995.

Sadly there is not too much on the York or Lincoln, although the Shackleton has fared better.

[avionic type]

I can't say I loved the Lanc [too many skinned shins getting over those blasted main spars ]but it was a great a/c to work on its only bug bear avionic wise was its twin wire electrical system +pos -neg not +pos and earth as on American a/c it caused alot of fault chasing if 1 neg found an earth as the a/c was not bonded too well and they could cause sparks and 100 octane dosn't like sparks except in the engine cylinders.
we didnt go over to the single wire system until after the war in the comercial world and I think the Shackleton was a single wire , does any one know if the Lincon was single?

[EGCA]

Another recent book published is "Lancaster The Biography" by Sqn Ldr Tony Iveson and Brian Milton. This book traces the genesis of the Lancaster from the Manchester, and its development, production, and operational use through the War, finishing just after the War when the aircraft saw some conversion to civilian use.

Purchased for my Father's forthcoming 94th birthday. He worked on Lancasters during the War at RAF Scampton, as an engine fitter. He still has in his toolbox a couple of "homemade" long handled T-bars with a socket on the end, which he knocked up at Scampton, to enable quicker access to Merlin cylinder head bolts I think it was. A bit of "make do and mend" in those far-away days!

Regards

EGCA

[Lancman]

The Lancasters flying into Gibraltar were probably from the Maritime Reconnaissance School at RAF St. Mawgan. It was a popular outing at the end of the course and was threatened when spar corrosion mandated a maximum flight time of 6 hours. So we put extra fuel on and flew faster!

[etsd0001]

It was a popular outing at the end of the course and was threatened when spar corrosion mandated a maximum flight time of 6 hours.

If spars corroded that quickly how did you get back!?

[avionic type]

Don't remember the main spar problem, what I do remember was one of them failed to take off and landed in the drink on the Med side of the Rock and it was discovered that they had obtained big sacks of sugar [still on the ration in the U.K. ]and either the Cof G was out or it was overloaded we did not discover the outcome of the Court Marshal the A/c was dragged out of the drink and written off, the crews did not look too happy when they were rescued .

[shaky]

Avionic Type I'm currently reading Lancaster:The Biography by Tony Iveston DFC in which he makes a passing reference to:

Francis K Mason's book The Avro Lancaster in which he painstakingly recorded the fate ofevery Lancaster ever built...

Could fit the bill.