16,9.43 No« 47

NOT FOR PUBLICATION, BROADCAST OR USE ON CLUB TAPES BEFORE 0030 HOURS ON FRIDAY 17th SEPTEMBER, 1943, THIS EMBARGO WITH THIS SHOULD BE RESPECTED OVERSEAS BY PREFACING ANY MESSAGES FILED

EMBARGO

Air Ministry News Service Air Ministry Bulletin No,11520

FIRST CANADIAN LANCASTER IN BRITAIN

Manned veterans air the first Canadian-Built Lancaster has By R,C,A.F, crew, arrived in Great Britain to fly with R.A,F, Bomber Command,

the It is intention that so far as possible these Canadian-Built aircraft will

Be flown By R,C,A,F, squadrons.

- The giant aircraft the "Ruhr Express" - first off* the production lines of

the Canadian Government-owned plant at Malton, Ontario, flew the Atlantic in nine hours and 30 minutes.

"Bambi" a very young white poodle, made the trip as a mascot

All members of the Canadian crew were trained in Canada under the British

Commonwealth Air Training plan and each has had 30 or more operational trips against whose enemy targets. With the exception of Squadron-Leader R.J.Lane, D,S*0., D,F,C«,

51 trips with the R.A.F, have Been largely as of Halifaxes, their raids and over Germany Italy have Been wholly in British Built Lancasters,

Steve They are*; Squadron-Leader Lane, age 23, Victoria, B.C,, Pilot-,

Boczar, age 22, Co-Pilot, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; " Jean Carrere, age

32, Navigator, Cochrane, Ont; Sgt, R,S, Webb, 26, Wireless Air Gunner, Glenavon

Sask; Flight-Sgt Reg K* Burgar, 20, Mid-upper-Gunner, Traynor, Sask; Flight-Sgt

R,W."Bill" Wright, D,F,M., Air Bomber, Saskatoon; and Sgt Mike Baczinski, 25, Flight

engineer. Accompanying them were Capt Clyde Pangbourne and Mr, George Harvey, Both

of R,A,F, Transport Command, and Mr, Fred Morrell, of Rolls Royce Ltd.

Behaved all that there "The aircraft splendidly the way across and, considering time ware six passengers and a considerable weight of Baggage, the flying' was

excellent", said Squadron-Leader Lane,

The Lancaster left Newfoundland shortly after midnight and arrived at on

airport in Britain midway through the morning. Aided By the navigating skill of

Pilot-Officer Carrere, -who regards his operational trips to Berlin as Being far stiffer tasks than Atlantic flying, the aircraft landed "spot on" its destination half an hour Before the estimated time of arrival.

In addition it landed with 300 to 400 gallons of petrol still in its tanks.

The aircraft was turned over to the Ministry of Aircraft production. Present

to it on and meet the all were’ Air inspect arrival, Canadian crew, H. Edwards, Air Officer of the C.B., Commanding-in-Chief the R,C,A,F, Overseas, Hon, Vincent,

Massey, Canada's High Commissioner to Great Britain, Mr, C.A, Banks, U,K. representative

of the Canadian Department of Munitions and Supply, which Built the Lancaster for

Commadore for British use, Air F,G Waite Director of Personnel one R,C,A#F. Overseas,

Group captain G.C.Truscott, Director of Air Staff, R.A.F and F.E. Rosier, D S,O, Commanding Officer of the R,A,F, station.

As Canada's first contribution to the Supine's aircraft production in the field

of heavy bombers, it was of particular interest, produced in a plant originally built

to turn out the light Lysander Army co-operation plane and later switched to the

of production Anson twin-engined training aircraft, the Canadian Lancaster was christened sixteen months from the time the blueprints arrived in Canada,