The RAF’s only Second World War bomber will perform a stirring flypast over Nottinghamshire later this month. A single Avro Lancaster, made famous by Lincolnshire’s Dambuster heroes of Squadron 617, will fly over the Nottinghamshire County Show at Newark Showground during the event on Saturday May 14.
The flypast is being performed by the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and will take place - weather and aircraft serviceability permitting - amid a busy schedule of events including livestock displays, rural skills, a family friendly dog show, a Young Farmers Association lawnmower race and a festival of food.
But it is also a reminder of the history of the showground itself, which formerly operated as RAF Winthorpe and was used a training base for pilots learning how to fly Lancasters ahead of taking part in bombing raids over Germany during the war. The RAF’s last airworthy Lancaster – known as PA474 - was built just a few days after VE Day in 1945, ready to be used in the Far East and is one of only two in the world still flying.
