On Freedom’s Wings – Witham support RAF WW2 Lancaster landmark charity project

The incredible story of how the history of Lincolnshire’s Bomber County and a fated Avro Lancaster, is being remembered, with a new iconic landmark soon to be off the ground…

The Bomber County Gateway Trust is a Registered Charity with the object of designing, constructing and installing an iconic landmark art installation on the county border of Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. To be known as ‘On Freedom’s Wings’.

The area on the A46 immediately North of Brough and close to Collingham represents the natural Gateway to Lincolnshire from the A1 and other major road networks. Many major approach-roads to other counties and cities in the UK feature landmarks such as the Angel of the North in Tyne & Wear, the Horses in Falkirk, Sheffield’s proposed Man of Steel, the Kent Horse and the Wrexham Dragon.

Lincolnshire is inextricably linked to aviation and in particular its home to the RAF in the Second World War. Significant among the contributions made by the county are the achievements of Bomber Command despite this section of the Royal Air Force being unfairly snubbed and maligned for a number of decades.

In 2012, Bomber Command’s extraordinary contribution and sacrifice was finally recognised by the erection of a £6 million memorial in Green Park, London and the new Bomber Command centre, at Canwick Hill near Lincoln also represents further welcome recognition.

The Bomber County Gateway Trust is providing a link to this heritage right on the county border. The structure is a permanent art installation, being a full-sized representation of an Avro Lancaster Mk1 Bomber constructed from a steel frame, mounted on a slim steel support structure to give the impression that it is in flight on the horizon. The Landmark will be seen by more than 34,000 drivers every day on the A46.

The installation represents an Avro Lancaster bomber, in flight, heading “home” to RAF Swinderby, just 3km away. The site is particularly fitting, not only because of its perfect vantage point, but also because a number of aircraft, including Lancaster’s crashed nearby during the Second World War.

Arvo Lancaster R5689 during the War at Swinderby Airfield

Although intended to be a reminder of all Bomber Command crews, one such aircraft, Lancaster R5689 (VN-N) crashed on 18th September 1942 as it limped home from a mission over the Baltic Sea, which had set out to destroy German U-Boats that were stopping Europe receiving grain and fuel.

After a clear take off in fine conditions, the return of the plane was rather different, coming home to land, damaged and in bad weather conditions, the plane was required to circle the area for quite a while another aircraft landed. Sadly the plane never made it to the airfield and crash landed in the woods near Swinderby and Norton Disney.

Five members of its crew perished. Because that crash site is so close, (metres not miles) and the fact that VN-N was also the most photographed Lancaster of the war it has been chosen as the basis of this landmark to serve as a permanent reminder of Lincolnshire’s link to war-time aviation.

Gravestones of crew members of WW2 Lancaster crash

Lancasters are very large – 26m long and with a 31m wingspan. With a height of 29m this will make the installation taller than the Angel of the North which stands 20m tall.

The structure is a mild-steel structural frame partially clad in mild steel sheet in a similar fashion to the example of a Spitfire below. Once the structure takes on surface rust, the colours will be similar to the markings on an actual Lancaster.

Example of the steel structure for the new landmark

The support structure elevates the Lancaster approximately 15m above ground level. This ensures that the plane appears to be flying above the horizon against the sky when viewed from road level. The sculpture will be built to scale, weigh over 93 tonnes and will be angled at 45 degrees to look like it is turning to come into land at Swinderby, where the old aircraft was based and the original story inspired the build.

No lighting, power or other services will be installed at the site. The delicate eco-system which exists in the vicinity of the site and around Hill Holt Wood, goes hand-in-hand with a particularly dark environment at night, which will be preserved.

There will be a 300m pathway of Poppies trailing behind the Lancaster Bomber and down to the dual-carriageway, which have been planted by local school children.

THE BUILD PROJECT
The design and engineering expertise involved in the build and support of the landmark is incredible. The project has received great local support from local and national businesses and the local communities and whilst the fabrication of the fuselage are finally being completed and put into storage, over £150k of donations and support are still needed, including CAD drawings, scaffolding, and steel to bring the final half of the project to fruition. Sadly after the project had such an enthusiastic start in 2018, the covid pandemic has slowed the progress of the project and set back the original timescales to much dismay.

So far on the site the tall metal stanchions are in place in the concrete base and these can be seen from the A46 road alone. The landscaping and planting of poppies for the fields around and car parking spaces has started but further work is still needed.

Witham Group has donated paint for the Steel stanchions

Many companies are involved in the project and have either supported in their skills, time or products such as the 1300 tons of concrete that are needed to secure the base, paint to prime and weather proof the steel stanchions (donated by Witham Group), fabrication skills or crane hire, architects, engineers and of course the local parish council and land owners, In addition donations have come in from a huge variety of sources, legacies, fundraising activities, including the sale of a unique collection of Dam Busters memorabilia from a passionate supporter. It is and remains a huge community effort to have got this far and remains a huge community challenge to finally get the landmark off the ground.

Jonathan Hammond, MBE and Committee member of the project said: “Since my first visit to the RAF Museum at Hendon
for my 11th birthday with my Uncle (ex RAF) and listening to his stories of daring exploits of those who took to the dark skies, I have been hooked on researching more, learning more and helping those who wish to create lasting memorials to those 55,573 brave crew of Bomber Command who gave their lives whilst fighting for the defence of our Democracy. At a time when our thoughts and hopes for those in Ukraine who are fighting their own and similar battle for what’s right, I can only hope that others will step up to help support the final stages of this exciting Project.

Just imagine, on his final turn and approach to land his Lancaster Bomber at RAF Swinderby, after a 7 hour flight at the
controls, a 22 year old Australian Pilot was instructed ‘to go round again’ as a more stricken Lancaster required the runway
for an emergency landing. Following the extra circuit in rain and with low cloud, the two port engines failed and the aircraft veered to the right, crashing in Thurlby Top Wood with the loss of life for 4 of the 7 aircrew.

It would be so great it we could get the support as soon as possible for us all to remember their sacrifice and the other
55,573 members of Bomber Command, as well as the overall memory of those who gave their lives in war, a thought we are still seeing on the news today.

What started as a £750,000 Project, with thanks to all those involved already, now requires only the final £180,000 to
complete… but we need people to come forward with their goods and services or kindly make a donation asap. If everyone in Lincolnshire gave just £1, we would reach our goal and be able to get the sculpture completed and in situ on the A46 as quickly as possible.”

The sculpture will serve as a permanent reminder of those who gave their service in duty within the Bomber County of Lincolnshire. Witham Group is proud to be supporting this legacy project and if you are able to help with a donation of any kind, please get in touch with the On Freedom’s Wings project by visiting: www.bombergatewaytrust.co.uk

Alternatively, please call, Jonathan Hammond M.B.E. Principal & Valuer, HAMMOND Property Services. Tel:01949
878685