Arabella-Cox
October 17, 2004 at 8:27 pm

Coastal Command Lancasters

Can anyone give me the service histories of these three Coastal Command Lancasters please.

SW284 August 1953
RE154 August 1953
RF322 August 1956

I know they were painted white and that they were based at St Mawgan between 1953-56 as I was fortunate enough to fly in all three.

When were they built and when were they struck off charge and to what squadrons did they belong to at the times stated.

Thanks in advance 🙂

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By: Arabella-Cox - 18th October 2004 at 07:27

Thanks very much guys, I have checked my logbook again and it says RE154 however I may well have jotted that one down incorrectly, I have something similar on a Sunderland, it was Struck off Charge BEFORE I flew in her!

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By: Mark12 - 17th October 2004 at 22:52

I spotted and photographed a Lancaster in Coleys scrap yard near Heathrow circa 1958/9.

It had a legend on the nose. The overall colour was, from memory, mid/dark Ocean Grey similar to the later Shackletons.

This would have to be one of the last Lancs to scrapped in the UK. Would this be from Coastal Command?

Mark

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By: Akaroa - 17th October 2004 at 22:36

Lancaster Disposals

According to a compendium of information from Air Britain’s ‘The Lancaster File’; Harry Holmes ‘Avro Lancaster- The Definitive record’, and Francis K Mason’s ‘The Avro Lancaster’, the info you seek is as follows.

SW284: MkIII, ASR&GR, 3,120 Sqns, No. 230 OCU. SMR(H-Q), SOC 6Sept56, Scrapped May 1957

RE154: MkIII, 101Sqn (SR-X2), SOC 14Oct46, Scrapped 1947

RF322: MkIII, ASR&GR, 37,38,279 & 621 Sqns (RL-S on 37 Sqn),Sold for Scrap 11 Jul 1957.

Hope this helps!

John Roberts

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By: ian_st - 17th October 2004 at 22:31

SW284 – Part of Production batch of 13 mk 3’s built by Armstrong – Whitworth May/ June 45. ASR & GrMk3 236OCU, SMR, SOC 6/9/56

RE154 – Part of Production batch of 87 mk 3’s built by Avro at Yeadon March – June 45, 101 Sqn, SOC 14/10/46 (doesn’t seem to fit!)

RF322 – Part of Production batch of 170 mk 1/ 3’s built by Armstrong – Whitworth Feb/ May 45. ASR & GrMk3 279 Sqn, 38 Sqn, 37 Sqn, SMR, SOC 11/7/57