'˜Weeping Lancaster' Commemoration in Lancaster Corner at Newark Air Museum

A new commemoration entitled '˜Weeping Lancaster' has been added to the artefact display in Lancaster Corner in Hangar 1 at Newark Air Museum, close to the Nottinghamshire / Lincolnshire county border.

‘Weeping Lancaster’ features a stream of poppies that have been added to the floor of the Lancaster fuselage section from IX(B) Squadron Lancaster W4964, WS-J, which was donated to Newark in 1974.

The inspiration for this commemoration came from the various poppy displays around the country, including the recent one at Lincoln Castle, and they were installed in the Lancaster fuselage section by Nigel and Jude Bean.

The fuselage section is of major significance to the history of Bomber Command as it came from Lancaster W4964, which flew 106 Ops. Its 100th Op was a ‘Tallboy Mission’ on the Tirpitz battleship in Alten Fjord, Norway.

'Weeping Lancaster' commemoration at Newark Air Museum EMN-161017-094228001'Weeping Lancaster' commemoration at Newark Air Museum EMN-161017-094228001
'Weeping Lancaster' commemoration at Newark Air Museum EMN-161017-094228001

W4964 carried the nose art of the ‘Johnnie Walker’ whisky company and the exhibit still wears its original wartime paintwork. Its ends had been boarded up and it had been used as a garden shed before being donated to the museum in 1974.

“These (the poppies) complement the recently added air gunner figure and will form a fitting reminder of the aircrew that trained at RAF Winthorpe during World War II,” said museum trustee, Howard Heeley.

“The museum trustees hope that visitors to its forthcoming open cockpit session during the school half-term holidays will make an effort to go along to Display Hangar 1 to view this moving tribute to former RAF aircrew members.

“We also hope that participants to our Remembrance Sunday Service on November 13 will also take the opportunity to view the commemoration.”