Lancaster FM159 is a lucky Lancaster. One of 7374 built to help vanquish the Nazis, it was fortunate to have arrived for battle after the war in Europe ended, thus avoiding the flak and fighters that destroyed 3932 of its cohorts.

Saved from the scrap yard, the aircraft enjoyed a fulfilling career with the Royal Canadian Air Force, travelling widely from bases on both coasts to play a valuable role during the Cold War.

Replaced by a more modern aircraft, FM159 again escaped the scrap yard to become a town's landmark, watching the highway traffic pass by for thirty-one years.

Finally, FM159 found itself dedicated to a Canadian war hero and the centrepiece of a museum telling the story of those who served in aircraft like it during the Second World War.

Lancaster Bombers — Made In Canada

During the early years of the Second World War, the British and their Allies were building as many aircraft as possible. In a surprisingly short time, thousands of aircraft of several types, including four-engined Lancaster Bombers, were being produced in Canada. For a country still largely agrarian and just recovering from a decade of depression, the challenge that was met was immense. Eventually Lancaster production reached the level of one aircraft per day and the project employed ten thousand people. A total of 430 were built and 105 were lost in action.

Too Late For The War

Strangely, as the Canadian-built Lancasters that had operated during the war were returning home, newly built aircraft such as FM159 were being flown to England, even though the war in Europe had ended. After spending four months in England, FM159 returned to Canada, arriving safely at Yarmouth, Nova Scotia to join others in temporary storage. However there was concern that the damp, salty climate of the Maritimes was beginning to cause corrosion and it was decided to fly hundreds of the bombers to a drier climate.

Residents of western Canada must have been shocked to hear the roar of the huge warplanes as they travelled across the prairies. The aircrew aboard knew the horror of war, but they had beaten the odds and survived and were understandably elated. As they crossed the prairies and before landing their aircraft for the last time, they buzzed towns and farms at extremely low level, frightening both residents and livestock.

Numerous Lancasters, including FM159, landed at the former training base at Pearce, Alberta, northeast of Fort Macleod. Many were sold to farmers. A Lanc could be purchased for a few hundred dollars and its parts put to many uses on the farm. To begin with there was lots of oil and hydraulic cylinders that could be adapted to various uses around the farm. The aircraft also provided a seemingly endless supply of wire, metal tubes, and sheet aluminum. Some of the more novel ideas were placing Lancaster tail wheels on threshing machines, using crew door ladders for checking the level in grain bins, placing bomb-bay doors as borders of flower gardens, using propeller spinners as plant pots, and incorporating escape hatches (with windows) into the construction of outhouses.

Being a low-time Lancaster, FM159 was saved from the fate of becoming a farmer's hardware store, On March 18, 1946, it made a short hop to the former training base at Fort Macleod, and was placed in storage.

RCAF Service At Greenwood

FM159 was recalled for duty as a result of the international situation in the early 1950's. Following the increase in tension between East and West, the RCAF ordered the modification of seventy Lancasters to become maritime reconnaissance aircraft and play an anti-submarine role. The modifications included upgraded electronics and auxiliary fuel tanks fitted in the bomb bay. A silver paint scheme completed the conversion and FM159 emerged as a modern maritime reconnaissance aircraft.

From October, 1953 until early 1955 it served with No. 103 Search and Rescue Unit based at Greenwood, Nova Scotia. Then there were more modifications including the installation of a new radar system that enabled a snorkelling submarine to be detected at a distance of 20 nautical miles and FM159 was transferred to the west coast to begin service with No. 407 Squadron. The threat posed by Soviet submarines in Canada's Pacific waters was being countered by Lancasters based at Comox on Vancouver Island. As well as maritime reconnaissance, the squadron was also tasked with search and rescue and other duties.

No. 407 Squadron — The Comox Years

Almost immediately, FM159 was off on what was one of its most exciting adventures. Flying over Canada's high Arctic, an ice observer charted the colours, cracks, leads, and movement of the sea ice so that the Dew Line radar sites could be re-supplied. The flights were lengthy, some as long as ten hours.

FM159's longest flight concluded with an unscheduled visit to the northernmost point in Canada, Alert, on the northern tip of Ellesmere Island just 490 miles from the north pole. While returning from a long patrol to their base at Resolute Bay on Cornwallis Island, Captain Harry Addison received word that the airfield was experiencing a "white out." He was advised to fly to Thule, Greenland. Then about half an hour out of Thule, Harry was told that they were experiencing zero visibility. He then asked for another alternate and was advised that the weather at Alert was forecasted to improve. But Alert only came on the radio every four hours so they didn't know for sure.

It was a 500 mile flight and the navigator's maps didn't go that far north. According to Harry Addison, "Freddy Pineau, the flight engineer, was frantically doing all sorts of engine configurations to increase our flying time as we were getting critically low on fuel. About forty miles out of Alert they came on with their regularly scheduled weather broadcast and we were relieved to hear that Alert was practically clear. Never having landed a Lancaster with so little fuel on board, we must have floated two thirds of the runway before touching down. After a few "Hail Mary's" the pale faces returned to colour and, as we turned off the runway, number four engine died from lack of fuel. We had landed after a flying time of 12 hours 25 minutes. Needless to say we were all relieved to be on the ground."

FM159 had another close call in 1956 when an engine exploded and burned one foggy night over the Pacific. Then, while returning to base, all electrics and navigation was lost. Pilot Bert Clark recalled, "It's a strange feeling to be moving along at 180 knots into a black void not knowing where you are." Eventually they followed another aircraft home, passing through the Straits of Juan de Fuca at 300 feet without being able to see the lights of Vancouver.

During 1956, FM159 participated in an exercise designed to test the capability of Canadian and American interceptor squadrons. After leaving Comox and travelling north into the interior of BC, pilot Fred Burton dropped down into the valleys of the Rockies to avoid detection by radar. He recalled, "The Canadians did catch us and we were jumped by CF-100's. We continued on our southerly track and crossed into Washington State with no further interception. We then climbed to about 20,000 feet and began our simulated bomb run over the city of Spokane. We made three passes before a USAF F86 came up to see who we were!"

Later that year, FM159 searched for a Trans Canada Airlines North Star that went down after leaving Vancouver with sixty people aboard included many players from the western all-star football team.

FM159 travelled widely during those years including trips to Alaska and to the British Isles to take part in anti-submarine exercises. Flight engineer Duke Dawe recalled a problem while flying near London. "The crystals for the radio were kept in a nice metal box with the frequencies labeled next to them. All went well on the first crystal change, but then the radio operator opened the box upside down, and all the crystals fell to the floor. What a mess! Needless to say we flew right through London control without talking to anyone. They must have had to divert all the traffic away form us."

The Lancaster era at Comox drew to a close in 1958 and it was with some nostalgia that F/L Brooks and flight engineer Duke Dawe left Comox, flew across the mountains, and parked FM159 at RCAF Station Calgary. The aircraft had acquired a total of 2068 hours since its overhaul in 1953. Duke recalled that leaving Lanc159 was a "rather moving experience." He had flown in the aircraft 62 times, accumulating a total of 224.5 hours and he, "always had a very great feeling for her." Later a civilian crew flew the aircraft to the former BCATP base southwest of Vulcan where its engines and props were removed and the aircraft was to be scrapped.

A Lanc For Nanton

But luck was with FM159. In 1960, George White of Nanton had the idea of acquiring an aircraft as a war memorial and tourist attraction for his town. After hearing that FM159 was to be scrapped he, together with Howie Armstrong and Fred Garratt, purchased the bomber for $513.</i>

From the Bomber Command Museum website.

This High Dynamic Range 360° panorama was stitched from 80 bracketed photographs with PTGUI Pro, tone-mapped with Photomatix, processed in Color Efex, the nadir was touched up with Affinity Photo, and finally finished off in Aperture. (It’s not really as complicated as it sounds, just a matter of using on tool for each job.)

Original size: 20000 × 10000 (200.0 MP; 1.02 GB)

Location: Bomber Command Museum of Canada, Nanton, Alberta, Canada.