Photos of Lancaster EE145

OK, I recognise this is a long shot, but you never know…

My grandfather was in the RAF in WW2 in a purely administrative position (flat feet), but had do to stints on guard and acting as a driver etc etc.

It was a long time ago, and most of what he had to do was pretty boring, so he has forgotten much of it, but I usually ask when I see him.

At some point he was stationed in Lincolnshire, and from what he says, I think it was during, or shortly after the Dams raid (he remembers serving as driver for Guy Gibson when he was attending meetings etc).

I don’t think he was actually based at Scampton, but at one of the satellite airfields.

One of his memories that he is clear about is that he was sent out one night with a colleague to guard a Lancaster that had crashed on landing. I get the impression that it was a training accident, rather than damage from an operation.

I’ve always wondered what aircraft it might have been and what happened.

A bit of Googling of Lancaster losses, and cross-referencing to the timing of when he was stationed Lincolnshire, leads me to think that it might have been Lancaster EE145 that suffered an accident on landing after a training flight in June 1943 (no injuries, I think).

Do any photos exist of the aircraft in situ after the accident? I was hoping they might jog his memory and he might recognise the crash site/wreckage.

It’s more for my intest than his, but it would be interesting if I could find out which aircraft it was.

Hoping someone can help?

As an aside – the reason he remembers it was that he got a bit bored standing guard and had a bit of rumage around in the aircraft. He found what I think are known as ‘Wakey Wakey’ or survival pills in a survival kit and, being a bit too curious, he tried a quarter of one of the pills (at least he had the sense not to try a whole one).

Needless to say he didn’t get much sleep next day.

Back in the barracks, he persuaded his mate to share the remains of the pill, but his mate had the sense to only try a quarter too. My grandfather took the remaining half. Neither of them got much sleep over the next few days.