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Lancaster - Kiosk - Nose Art
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During the Second World War many allied aircraft were adorned with nose art. Form cartoon characters, depictions of young ladies to the occasional profound or sentimental statement, the artwork provided an identity and a splash of colour to an otherwise austere weapon of war.
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Red Devil
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The first piece of art to adorn R5868 was a representation of the demonic figure of Mephistopheles who appears as an agent of the Devil in the legend of Faust. The artwork depicted a red figure of a devil dancing in flames while thumbing his nose and displayed the legend ‘Devils of the Air’. It’s not known when the artwork was applied but it was removed in August 1943 when the aircraft left No. 83 Squadron.
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Flight Lieutenant Rick Garvey and crew perch precariously on the nose of R5868. Garvey flew 20 sorites in R5868, more than any other pilot.
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R5868 displayed the No. 83 Squadron codes OL and was allocated the individual code letter Q for ‘Queenie’.
Naked Woman
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R5868 joined No. 476 Squadron during September 1943 and was repainted with the Squadron’s code letters PO and the individual code ‘S’ for ‘Sugar ’. It also acquired a cheeky new piece of nose art. When it became likely that R5868 could become the first Lancaster to complete 100 operations, RAF Waddington’s Station Commander insisted the artwork should be removed ‘… because it’s rude and Sugar will be publicised so much it will upset the Archbishop of Canterbury!’
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Pilot Officer McClelland and crew pose in front of ‘S’ for ‘Sugar’. Standing on the far right is Sergeant A W Martin who created the artwork.
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Boastful Claim
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In 1944, with four operational sorties required before its 100th mission, R5868 was repainted with 96 bomb symbols on its nose. A boastful quote made in 1939 by the commander of the German Air Force stating that ‘No enemy plane will fly over the Reich territory, Herman Goering’ [sic] is shown recorded underneath.
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Celebrations erupt at RAF Waddington on May 12 1944 as the 100th bomb is painted on the side of R5868.
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Queenie
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In June 1942, R5868 was allocated to No. 83 Squadron at RAF Scampton where the squadron codes OL were applied to the fuselage along with the individual code letter ‘Q’ for ‘Queenie’. The small lozenge-shaped windows running along the upper half of R5868’s fuselage (as can be seen in the photograph below) were replaced during a major refurbishment in the autumn of 1944.
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Flight Lieutenant Rick Garvey’s crew are joined by ‘Queenie’s’ groundcrew for a photo taken during the summer of 1943.
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