Lancaster over the tower
September 24, 2001
Compiled by Linn Barringer, based on articles from Evening Star
and East Anglian Daily
Times
THE roar of a LANCASTER bomber echoed across the Martlesham sky to celebrate the first anniversary of the opening of the Martlesham Heath control tower museum.
Click on these to see larger images
First 2 photos © 2001 Alan Powell,
3rd photo by Keith Mindham, EADT.
Still photographs not enough for you?
This downloads a 27-second clip of video filmed by Bob Moore, with sound. You may need to turn up your volume. Commentary by Gordon Kinsey, accompanied by the excited audience. File size 350kb which should take less than a minute to download and the .wmv format should launch your video viewing application.
Over 600 people of all ages gathered on the heath to capture the flight of the great plane on film and in their memories.
A distant roar on the horizon was enough to hush the crowd and signal the arrival of the plane. The Lancaster flew low over the control tower before circling twice, flying three times over the crowd, sounding just like this (416kb - not recorded at the time).
Picture from the quarterly magazine of the Lincolnshire Lancaster Association
Sq Ldr Dave Thomas retired as Bomber Leader of the Battle of Britain Memorial flight (BBMF) on the 23rd September 2001. So the last display undertaken by him was our flypast. This might explain why a flypast became a display. He will also be remembered as the last display pilot of the Vulcan Bomber and that awesome farewell display at Biggin Hill when he had the whole crowd gasping with his skill with such a huge machine. I was lucky enough to be present when he had his conversion test to the Lancaster in Sept 1997 at RAF Coningsby and lucky enough to see his final day at Martlesham, indeed we were all lucky that day.
Tarkey Barker, 22 November 2001
Celebrations for the museum's first birthday had been going on all day with several hundred people turning up, despite intermittent, and sometimes heavy, rain.
As well as the Lancaster fly past there was excellent live music from Martlesham Brass, were also several Second World War military vehicles and vintage cars on display.
Andy Moore, a member of the Martlesham Heath Aviation Society, had his Willy's MB Jeep on display. His Jeep has been used in victory celebrations across Europe as well as being used in the TV series, Lovejoy.
Another Andy, this time Andy Flexen-Pallott, made the trip up from Essex for his first public appearance wearing his authentic Luftwaffe pilot's uniform and 'accessories'.
Click for larger image
The museum was also a popular attraction, full of memorabilia, photos, maps and pictures taking visitors on a journey through the life of the airfield starting from when it opened in 1917. The queue for the museum stretched all the way round the building.
Robert Dunnett, vice-chairman of the Martlesham Heath Aviation Society, said that the day had been fantastic. He said: "I thought it (the fly past) was so emotional - I don't think there was anything else we could have done. We have had excellent support from the crowd. Our first year here has been brilliant and since we opened we have had 4,000 people visiting the museum." Bob also paid tribute to Leiston Air Training Corps and Woodbridge Air Training Corps, who helped out on the day.