Avro Lancaster Mk I

Entering service in March 1942, for the last three years of the Second World War, the Avro Lancaster was the major heavy bomber used by Bomber Command to take the war to the heartlands of Nazi Germany. Described by Sir Arthur Harris, Commander-in-Chief of Bomber Command, as ‘the greatest single factor in winning the war’, Lancasters made a major contribution to Bomber Command’s night offensive, made even more incredible when the average age of the seven-man crew was only 22 years. They endured danger and discomfort and many showed great courage in continuing to fly knowing the odds against survival were high. Bomber Command suffered the highest casualty rate of any branch of the British services in the Second World War. Our magnificent Lancaster is the only one known to have successfully completed 37 sorties when the average was 21.