Avro’s at St Mawgan

On a recent visit to the splendid Cornwall Aviation Heritage Centre at St Mawgan airfield I was able to catch the former gate guard Shackleton MR.2 WL795 partly dismantled and awaiting its turn for some post lockdown tlc. Also there but in a separate enclosure to ‘795 and nothing to do with the CAHC was the ex Long Marston Shackleton MR.3 WR985 (dismantled and together with Meteor T.7 WL332). Seeing ‘985 in so many sections makes one realise just what a big undertaking it was to dismantle and save it from the inevitable scrapping. Here’s hoping that it now faces a brighter future – whatever that may be.

But the biggest surprise was the Lancaster fuselage in the background, adorned with 405 squadron (RCAF) markings. I don’t know anything about it or whether it’s real or a mock, but seeing it carrying RAF Gransden Lodge codes certainly made my day as that old Airfield lies fairly close to home for me.

Photos In no particular order.