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(Illustration © Chris Sandham-Bailey / Inkworm )

The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s Lancaster PA474, one of only two airworthy examples in the world — the other being operated by the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum — will receive a new paint scheme following its major maintenance program scheduled to begin in October 2025 at RAF Coningsby.

When it emerges from the workshops in 2027, it will wear the colors of Lancaster LM220 of IX Squadron as it appeared in 1944–1945.

The BBMF’s Lancaster B I PA474 in its current colors (Photo © Damien Defever for LEB)

The scheme will include nose art featuring the inscription “Getting Younger Every Day,” inspired by an advertisement from the William Younger brewery, along with a bearded character nicknamed “Father William.” LM220 took part in the Tallboy raids against the battleship Tirpitz, and also flew during the Exodus repatriation missions in May 1945.

Source: Vintage Aviation News | New Markings for the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s Lancaster in 2027

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The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum has announced on its Facebook page that its Lancaster FM213 will be painted and flown in the temporary markings of Lady Orchid, Lancaster KB895, WL-O. The usual VR-A markings will remain on the starboard side. “Lady Orchid was Lancaster KB895, a wartime veteran of 434 RCAF Squadron with 35 operations, the center section of which was used to restore Lancaster FM213.

https://www.facebook.com/CanadianWarplaneHeritageMuseum/photos/a.386671946279.203359.357014811279/10153817336216280/?type=3&theater

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Left to right: Les Munro, King George VI and Guy Gibson on 27 May 1943.

Squadron Leader John Leslie “Les” Munro, CNZM, DSO, QSO, DFC, JP, the last surviving pilot of the “Dambuster raid”, passed away on 4 August 2015 in New Zealand, aged 96.

Munro was born in 1919 and joined the RNZAF in 1941. He made a first tour of operations with No 97 Squadron flying the Manchester and later Halifax, in 1942-1943. He volunteered fo No 617 Squadron and joined the unit at its creation in March 1943. He was part of the famous raid against the Rühr dams on 17 May 1943, but was forced to return home with his anti-dam mine after he was hit by Flak over the Netherlands and lost all communications.

He took part in Operation Taxable, the plan to deceive the Germans into believing the Allied invasion was taking place in the Seine Maritime region rather than Normandy.

He left the Air Force in 1946 having flown 58 combat missions. After his return to New-Zealand, he took an interest in local politics and served as an adviser and mayor.

A full obituary can be found on The Telegraph.

Les Munro’s Lancaster during Operation taxable, on 5/6 June 1944.

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(Photo Ronnie Macdonald (CC BY 2.0))

The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s Avro Lancaster suffered an in-flight fire on its #4 engine during a training flight on May 7. The crew managed to land the aircraft safely at RAF Coningsby.

The extent of the damage suffered by the aircraft is unknown but it will not be able to participate in the commemorations for the 70th anniversary of VE-Day.

Source: BBC

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Lancaster “Just Jane” taxiing for the public. (Photo Graham Hodgson (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0))

Lancaster NX611 “Just Jane” could fly soon according to this BBC article. The four-engined bomber is currently only able to taxi and is regularly displayed to the public at the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre.

A fourth Merlin engine has been obtained for “Just Jane”, which was needed to make her fly again. The bomber belongs to brothers Fred and Harold Panton, who restored in memory of their brother, who was killed in a Lancaster in 1944.

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Tom McLean (Crown Copyright)

The legendary aerial gunner Thomas Joseph McLean died on July 20, aged 89. He is arguably the highest-scoring gunner, his DFC citation crediting him with seven confirmed kills as well as two probables. Postwar research indicated the two probables were actually destroyed, giving him a total of nine aerial kills, but McLean always limited his tally to what  was officially awarded to him.

McLean joined the RAF at eighteen in June 1940 and was trained as a ground defence gunner, learning everything he could about guns, ammunition and ballistics. He later volunteered as an aerial gunner and was posted to No 102 Squadron as a Halifax rear-gunner. On his very first mission on 28 August 1942, McLean shot down an attacking Me 109.

He was awarded an immediate DFM after shooting down 2 Junkers Ju 88 on 6 December 1942, on his 17th mission. Astonishingly, this was not to the taste of some of the squadron’s officers, who made sure that McLean remained “in his place”.

McLean shot down an Me 110 and claimed another one as probable over Lorient on 16 February 1943. The probable was later recognized as a confirmed victory by intelligence. Ending his first tour of operations in April 1943, he became a gunnery instructor in Bomber Command.

Some time later, he was assigned as a gunnery instructor in a remote Coastal Command station and felt that his skills were mis-used. He managed to take part in patrols but never recorded these as actual operations in his logbook.

His morale was very low and he had begun considering desertion when he was invited to join the elite 617 Squadron, where he was well received and found an atmosphere more suited to his personality and skills.

On 15 March 1944, McLean’s aircraft was attacked by two night fighters over France. McLean was wounded but immediately shot the first attacker down in flames. The second attacker inflicted even more damage to the Lancaster but was quickly dispatched by fire from McLean’s turret and crashed. A nearby Me 109 was attracted by the action and proceeded to attack them but McLean was able to fend him off.

After recovering from his wounds, McLean continued flying with 617 Squadron until after D-Day, retiring with an official total of 51 sorties. He was awarded a DFC and was received by King George VI.

After a bried time a a civilian, McLean rejoined the RAF in 1946 and remained there until 1956. He then worked as a a barber and later as a caretaker, up to age 80. After his first marriage was dissolved, he married, in 1981, Kay Thompson. He is survived by both his wives, four children from his first marriage, a daughter from his second and by two stepchildren.

An obituary can be read on the Telegraph. I  highly recommend reading about his wartime exploits in the book “617 Squadron – The Dambusters at War” by Tom Bennett (Patrick Stephens Ltd, ISBN 1852600411, new edition 1987, Chapter 4).