New image of Lancaster PA474’s last expected flight in September 1964
Header image: Lancaster PA474 taking off at RAF Wroughton on 25th September 1964. (Photo: BBMF Archives, restored and colourised by Colin Wylie)
Found in the BBMF archives, a grainy, blemished and dust-spotted, original hard-copy black and white photograph, showed Lancaster PA474 with no gun turrets fitted, taking off from RAF Wroughton on 25th September 1964. The photo drew the attention of BBMF Visitor Centre guide, Colin Wylie, who has developed the ability to restore, enhance and sometimes to colourise old photos using AI. The results of his work bring to life an important historic moment in the life of Lancaster PA474.
PA474 had been with the Cranfield College of Aeronautics since March 1954, still wearing the silver colour scheme from its time with 82 Squadron on photo-mapping duties in Africa. In October 1963, having been retired from test duties at Cranfield, the Lancaster was adopted by the Air Historical Branch (AHB) for potential future display as a static exhibit in a museum. In April 1964 the Lancaster was flown to 15 Maintenance Unit (MU) at RAF Wroughton. For most Lancasters that survived the war and arrived at Wroughton, the word ‘Maintenance’ in the unit’s title was inappropriate, as 15 MU was actually something of a graveyard for the bombers. Almost all of those that ended up there were broken up and scrapped. However, with its future as a static exhibit in mind, PA474 was painted into a standard Bomber Command camouflage scheme but without any squadron markings and still with no gun turrets.
During her stay at Wroughton PA474 was used in the filming of the movie ‘Operation Crossbow’. On 25th September 1964 the Lancaster made what was intended to be its last ever flight from RAF Wroughton into museum storage at RAF Henlow. This ferry flight, under the authorisation of the AHB, included a touch and go landing and take-off at Wroughton for the film cameras alongside the runway to capture both a take-off and a landing sequence for the movie. The newly restored photo shows that moment.
After landing at Henlow later that same day PA474 was expected never to fly again. Fortunately, as we know, that is not how it turned out. A ‘ONE FLIGHT ONLY’ approval from the AHB allowed PA474 to be flown from Henlow – where it had been sitting in the open air for almost a year – to RAF Waddington on 18th August 1965. After a restoration lasting just over two years, PA474 flew again on 7th November 1967; it joined the BBMF in November 1973 and when it returns from its ‘Major’ maintenance in 2027 it will once again be seen in the skies. This old photo, a piece of history, was not the end of the story as expected, but just an interlude before a new beginning.
