Over the past few weeks in deepest Lincolnshire there has been a Canadian visitor , an old lady who has a huge fan club. This old lady had not been to the UK before and yet at a grand old age she had crossed the Atlantic . Thousands of people have blocked roads around her holiday home and when she has gone out to see relatives or to explore shows around the country.
So who is this elderly old lady. Why does she have such a great following? And why isn't her every move being reported on the TV news ?
Well the old lady's name is Vera and she is here to see her two relatives Jane and Thumper.
Still no wiser ? Well one of the clues is that she is living in Lincolnshire at RAF Conningsby , the home of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight or BBMF
. Vera is a Lancaster Bomber one of only two flying Lancasters. Normally Vera , the name being from her registration number, is in Canada and is lovingly maintained and flown there. But following years of discussions Vera has finally been reunited with the other Lancaster that is flying, that of the BBMF. This Lancaster is known as Thumper. But at the beginning it said three old ladies, the third is the Lancaster Just Jane based also in Lincolnshire at East Kirkby. Just Jane at the moment does not fly but does regular taxi runs at her museum home.
Over the past few weeks Lincolnshire skies have hummed with the sound of the Merlin Engines as the Lancasters fly over often travelling to air displays together and with other members of the BBMF. And on several occasions they have been to see Jane and the three Lancasters have been pictured together. The event has been a once in a lifetime happening it was a brave decision to fly Vera over , it has taken loads of planning and it has given many people hours of pleasure to see this spectacle .
There are just a few days now left before Vera starts her long flight home to Canada, and the people of Lincolnshire will miss her . Hopefully with the increased interest in the historic BBMF flight and also the Lancaster then the East Kirkby Just Jane may once again be able to fly, funds are needed to enable this to happen.
Vera ,also met another distant relative that is the Vulcan bomber and photographs are around of them all flying together. What all these aircraft have in common is they are all fantastic examples of engineering and along with the Mosquito, Dakota and Spitfire they also are fitting tribute to those men of the RAF that flew during World War 2.
It was fitting that Vera's holiday home was Lincolnshire once known as Bomber County also the starting point for the Dambuster raid one of the greatest bombing raids of the war. This county is still today home to several large RAF stations and to the Red Arrows the elite RAF display team. Bye bye Vera safe journey home Jane and Thumper will miss you.
