“Death didn’t care if you were a butcher’s boy or a public schoolboy”

Rob Attar: What were the origins of the Lancaster bomber? Why was it needed?

John Nichol: At the start of the Second World War, the Royal Air Force’s offensive capability was quite limited. It soon became clear that the RAF needed bigger, better and more powerful bombers that could carry much greater loads. Now, what we’re really talking about are weapons to kill people and destroy things. And the early bombers weren’t doing that enough. They weren’t achieving what the politicians and military leaders wanted, which was to take the war to the heart of Germany. With the Lancaster bomber that’s what they were able to do, thanks to its range and its massive weapons load.

How much of a challenge was it to build Lancasters in the quantities required?

A huge challenge. Just look at a modern car production line with all of its automation, computer technology and mass production facilities. Then imagine trying to do all of that by hand, rivet by rivet. The men and women who built 7,377 Lancasters in massive production facilities were undertaking a mammoth task.

Why did the Lancaster become the pre-eminent British bomber?

Numbers. It went into service with so many squadrons. It’s talked about in the same breath as the Spitfire, and in many ways, we talk about it so much because we know so much about it. Many Bomber Command veterans who flew the Halifax, for instance, will tell you that their contribution was as important, but the simple fact is that the Lancaster was produced in huge numbers and was involved