Strathallen Lancaster

[robert f jones]

Can any ex BUA people help me with a date and year. I know that a BUA crew with Captain Mac as Commander, Gerry Moore, co-pilot, David Kemp as navigator and Stan Bamford as F/Engineer ferried a Lancaster from Canada to the Strathallen Museum in Scotland. It is possible there was one other person on board from the Museum.

This aircraft, known as the "Myanarski" Lancaster was restored and years later eventually returned to the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum at Hamilton, Ontario where still flies and is open to the public.

Can anybody also supply a date and year, plus information on when the aircraft returned to Canada ?

[chevvron]

Arrived about '74/'75; don't know when it left.

[dereknf]

There are some answers here

http://www.pprune.org/aviation-history-nostalgia/331567-lancaster-questions-2.html

[JW411]

Now, I might be able to help you here. The aircraft that was flown back to UK by a BCAL crew for the Strathallan Collection was KB976 and it was registered as G-BCOH. It was at BAe Woodford on an overhaul when the hangar roof fell on it damaging the centre section. It was dismantled and some bits of it were robbed for other projects. What was left of it was bought by Kermit Weeks at Polk City in Florida and when I visited there 20-odd years ago, it was still inside the shipping crates.

Now, an old drinking buddy of mine by the name of Glyn Genin came back across the Atlantic in it. Glyn worked for the FT and he was a briliiant photographer. He did a lot of work for BCAL and that was the connection. I have, up in the attic somewhere, some of Glyn's photographs taken of the Lancaster (and from the Lancaster) on the delivery flight. If I can find them, I will put them up (I'm sure Glyn won't mind).

The CWH Lancaster which is based at Hamilton, Ontario and which still flies frequently is FM213. It is painted in 419 Squadron colours and carries the serial number KB726 which was the aircraft of P/O Andrew Mynarski when he was awarded the Victoria Cross.

[Democritus]

There are two pages on the British Caledonian tribute website devoted to this ferry trip: BCal Spirit of Caledonia (http://www.british-caledonian.com/BCal_Spirit_of_Caledonia.html) . I think I saw a documentary on TV (Sky?) some years ago about the flight across the Atlantic but I can find no reference to it.

Interesting that the BCAL website says OH arrived at Glasgow on 20/5/75 but the Strathallan arrival date is shown elsewhere as not until 11/6/75. RAF Museum records show that the Cosford Nimrod XV249 escorted OH on the final part of the Atlantic crossing on 20/5/75. Must have spent three weeks at Glasgow?

[JW411]

Well, I got lucky. My curiosity got me up into the attic and I found Glyn's photographs. In fact, a lot of them are already posted on the BCAL website but I do have a much better shot of Nimrod XV249 on the starboard wingtip when it met them inbound from the Atlantic.

My only problem right now is that my photographs are A3 size and I only have an A4 scanner so I will have to give the shrinking problem to a friend of mine.

[dash7fan]

According "Aeroplane" Aug. 1975 there was Dick Richardson, Strathallan engineer additionally as crewchief on the flight.
The Lancaster arrived on May 20 1975 at Glasgow and was ferried on June 11, 1975 to the Strathallan airfield.
The Nimrod picked up the Lancaster off the Hebrides and escorted them for about 20 minutes.
The article was written by Capt. Alec Mackenzie.

[Proplinerman]

G-BCOH at Strathallan in September 1976: Lancaster at Strathallan Sept 1976 | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/48975048@N06/8353966115/in/photolist-dJdg5x)

[bcgallacher]

I saw the aircraft parked at Glasgow after it's flight from Canada. It was around the time of the Cod War and it had crude swastikas painted on it by the fish heads when it transited through Iceland.

[LowNSlow]

I worked up in the Shetland Isles in the ealry 1980's and used to drive through Auchterarder (where the Strathallan Collection was based) on my way to the ferry at Aberdeen. On one journey I was early enough to stop off at the collection which was unfortunately all locked up as it was only about 08:00.

Luckily from me a gentleman of certain years approached the gate from inside the Collection and advised me to come back later. I explained that I couldn't and we got chatting and it turned out that he had worked on Hurricanes during WW2. When I told him that my dad had started out as an airframe fitter on Hurris before going onto Halifaxes as flying crew he told me to jump over the gate and he'd show me around.

He was as good as his word and the highlight of the visit was climbing up through the fuselage of the Lanc and sitting in the pilot's seat. Looking out over the broad wings with their pairs of Merlins was amazing. Absolute magic memories which will stay with me to the grave.

What a crying shame that she was so badly damaged in Woodford and that Charles Church never lived to realise his dream of having 3 Lancasters flying.

[AtomKraft]

It did spend weeks at Glasgow.

I remember seeing parked in that spare bit at the end of 05 unless my memory is playing tricks.

It was in a rather fetching bare metal scheme.

Isn't the nose at Brooklands now?

[Liffy 1M]

Loads of detail on this dedicated website:

Lancaster KB976 History (http://www.timefadesaway.co.uk/strathallan/kb976/kb_976_intro.html)

[primreamer]

These were taken when I visited Strathallan in early 1976.
My apologies for the fact that they're not really close enough to show any additional details to those already known.

http://i1312.photobucket.com/albums/t540/primreamer/Lanc1_zps199366c5.jpg

http://i1312.photobucket.com/albums/t540/primreamer/Lanc2_zpsc22a96c4.jpg

http://i1312.photobucket.com/albums/t540/primreamer/Lanc3_zps9cf014b5.jpg

Strathallan housed a decent collection of airframes as I remember, including a Hurricane, Spitfire and Comet XK655.

[Proplinerman]

In response to Primreamer, other photos that I took at Strathallan during my visit there in 1976:


Shackleton: Shackleton at Strathallan Sept 1976 | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/48975048@N06/8355026540/in/photolist-dJiGiJ-dJiHhC-a9gonv)


Comet 2: Comet at Strathallan Sept 1976 | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/48975048@N06/8355029840/in/photolist-dJiHhC-a9gonv)


And a photo of the Hudson, but taken in 1973: Lockheed Hudson VH-AGJ, Strathallan, 24-8-73e | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/48975048@N06/6000744815/in/photolist-a9gonv)


And I'll shortly post a link to the one other photo I took during my "over the fence" visit in 1973, showing a Sycamore, a Tri-Pacer and three(!) Ansons in the distant background.


Also, but now from my 1976 visit, link to a photo I took of Miles Monarch G-AFLW.

[primreamer]

Proplinerman,
I don't remember the Shackleton at all but its been a while, I was only ten!
Unusual colour scheme though. Do you know its history? I've got a photo of the Comet kicking about somewhere, taken the same day. I'll post it up when I've found it.
I believe the Miles Monarch you mentioned is now at the Museum of Flight, East Fortune.

[Genghis the Engineer]

The man to ask would be Dick Richardson, until last year manager of Popham airfield. I've twice sat through a truly brilliant presentation he gave about moving the Strathallan Lanc from Canada - which he organised.

I'm sure if you speak to Popham they can give you his details.

G

[Proplinerman]

And here are the links to my photos of the Monarch: Miles Monarch G-AFLW at Strathallan Sept 1976e | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/48975048@N06/12122183094/in/photostream)


And the Tri-Pacer etc: Tripacer and Sycamore, with three Avro XIX's in background, Strathallan, 24-8-73e | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/48975048@N06/12121778865/in/photostream/)

[robert f jones]

My sincere thanks to you JW411, dash7fan and Dick Richardson (plus others) for the information on the Strathallan Lancaster. I was of course incorrect to believe this was the "Myanarski aircraft, there was no connection. As you point out, what would have been if Charles Church had not lost his life in the Spitfire.

Mr Dick Richardson, I will email you if I may explaining why this thread was raised.

[Genghis the Engineer]

I don't think that Dick has posted on this thread has he?

He is worth contacting however - very nice chap who after ceasing to work for Lord Strathallen went over to work for Charles Church with his collection, and then to manage Popham airfield until he retired. He shouldn't be hard to track down, and I've always found him very ready to talk about his aeronautical history - which is absolutely fascinating. He was also many of the reasons why Popham has been such a popular airfield for so many years.

G

[robert f jones]

Yes, Dick has posted, I found it and then couldn't get back to it. Just tried again with success.
Go to the post from dereknf and click on his "Lancaster questions". Up comes Dick 1939 with his precise version of events, as one would expect.

Knowing all the crew I had a wry smile when he mentions that they would only complete the trip if he was on board, only half joking I suspect.

[JW411]

http://www.frpilot.com/Dad/XV249.jpg

Having looked at the replies and links so far on this thread, a lot of Glyn's photographs (or very similar) have already been posted so I only intend to post two new images. The first one to (hopefully) appear is a better shot of Nimrod XV249 on the right wingtip. (Photograph taken by Glyn Genin).

[JW411]

http://www.frpilot.com/Dad/PBY5A.jpg

And here is a nice shot of the Lancaster at Gander with a PBY5A Catalina fire bomber in the foreground. (Photograph taken by Glyn Genin).

[JW411]

By the way, if you click on the "BCal Spirit of Caledonia" link in Post #5 and go to "BCOH-Page2" you will see a copy of a commemorative postcard. Note that it is signed by six people and Glyn's signature is at bottom right.

[Genghis the Engineer]

Ah so he posted on a thread last year that derek linked to.

Gotcha,

G

[ahilton]

A bit late coming to this forum thread, but mostly thanks to Dick Richardsion there is a website all about this particular aircraft -

Lancaster KB976 - The Full Story: Introduction (http://www.timefadesaway.co.uk/strathallan/kb976/kb_976_intro.html)