There are quite a few posts that credit 44 Squadron as “caring” for the aircraft which is not quite correct.  Being on RAF charge, the aircraft may have been allocated to 44 squadron for administration purposes but, back in the 1960s the Waddington Wing was on Centralised Servicing and none of the squadrons had any technical personnel.  PA474 was restored and maintained under Mechanical Engineering Aircraft Squadron (MEAS) by a team of SNCOs many of whom were WW2 veterans with Lancaster experience.  Also, none of the 44 Squadron aircrew had current tail wheel heavy aircraft experience and the original crews that flew PA474 were Hastings crew from RAF Lindholme.  44 Squadron’s contribution to her care was minimal. In 1968 and 1969 I was privileged to work on PA474 doing extensive rewiring of the perished rubber insulated 1945 wiring and installing an inverter system to power a TACAN system to enable the aircraft to find its way around the country. 

As regards emergency escape hatches, A.P. 2062 A & C Vol 1 Sect. 3 paragraph 8 states there are three – “(i) In the cockpit canopy above the pilot’s cockpit (ii) In the intermediate centre portion (iii) In the centre rear portion above the end of the main floor”.