A PAIR of Lancaster bombers will fly over Godstone on Sunday – marking the first time in 50 years that two of the iconic planes have shared the same airspace.
The two planes are the only remaining working Lancaster bombers in the world. One is normally kept in Canada and has been brought across the Atlantic for a special fly-by at Kenley Airfield to mark the 70th anniversary of D-Day – the allied landings in Normandy in the Second World War.
But, in a touching tribute, the two planes will be diverted to fly over Godstone to honour a dedicated member of the Royal Air Forces Association (RAFA) who cannot be at the airfield for the event.
As a boy, Tony Harding used to cycle to Croydon Airport near his childhood home and watch planes take off for the Battle of Britain.
Now, after health issues left him unable to get to the memorial event, RAFA members have arranged for the planes to come to him.
Mr Harding, 87, said: "I'm honoured that they are doing it."
His experiences watching the planes take off from Croydon began a lifelong fascination for Mr Harding.
He told the Mirror: "We used to watch the fighter planes [Hurricanes and Spitfires] take off for the Battle of Britain, they would have a squadron of 12 which took off in threes.
"Then after the battle they would come back in ones and twos, we would see them come overhead and go out and wave at them.
"We never knew if they could see us. Then one day we were in the right place and saw one pilot raise his hand to wave back and everyone cheered."
His passion for planes – particularly the Lancaster – led Mr Harding to join the Air Training Corps (ATC) in 1943, aged 16, and apply to join the RAF, but he failed the medical and remained with the ATC until after the war.
Mr Harding enjoyed the flying lessons he received in the ATC but he was also one of the cadets taken down to Farnborough shortly after the war ended to see the captured German planes.
The Lancaster bomber is special to Mr Harding, who now lives in Dewlands, Godstone, because his best friend flew in one.
He met John "Nobby" Brooker in 285 Squadron of the ATC and the two became firm friends, even acting as best man at each other's weddings.
When Mr Brooker, who died in 1985, returned from a tour as a radio operator in Africa following the war, he came back to Britain in the exact Lancaster which will fly over Mr Harding's house on Sunday.
"Whenever I see a Lancaster I think of John," Mr Harding told the Mirror.
After the war, Mr Harding left the ATC then rejoined as an instructor, teaching young cadets to identify planes.
He also became an honorary member of the RAFA after helping organise memorial events at Kenley Airfield, and was a regular at the airshows.
The timing of the Godstone flyover will depend on weather conditions on the day. Visit our website www.surreymirror.co.uk for the latest information.
Lancaster Bomber Facts
608,000 tonnes of explosives were dropped by Lancasters during the Second World War
7,377 Lancaster Bombers were built during the Second World War
287 mph is a Lancaster's top speed
7 crew in a Lancaster Bomber
2 flying Lancaster Bombers left in the world
THE Avro Lancaster was Bomber Command's most famous bomber during the Second World War, with the first prototype taking flight on January 9, 1941. It was so successful in its full trial later that year that the Air Ministry put in an immediate order for 1,070 Lancasters.
The plane was so in demand for the British war effort that Avro – the firm which created the plane – was forced to contract out some of the building to other companies.
The Lancaster was a heavily-armed bomber with eight 0.303 machine guns in various turrets. Later versions were modified to carry the "grand slam" – at 22,000lb the heaviest bomb carried in the Second World War.
The Lancasters took part in many raids on Germany, the most famous of which was the dambuster raids for which the plane was modified.
Source: www.historylearningsite.co.uk
