Page 2 - Avro Lancaster ME801

AVRO LANCASTER MK 1

SERIAL NO: ME 801

SQN CODE: UL – N2

CALLSIGN: N – NAN2

Built by Metropolitan-Vickers Limited, at Mosley Road, Manchester, as part of
Contract No: 2221 and works order No. G.O.122700 placed by the Ministry of Aircraft
Production (MAP) in 1942. Average airframe production was 21 Lancasters per week.
Deliveries commenced in November 1943 and the contract was completed by January
1944. ME 801 was built as a Mk 1 with Merlin 24 engines.

The Lancaster was initially allocated to 166 Squadron at RAF Kirmington (now
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Humberside Airport) on the 16 May 1944 but her stay here was not long, being
transferred to 576 Squadron (then stationed at RAF Elsham Wolds) on the 18 May.
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The first operation ME 801 undertook was on the evening of the 21 May 1944 to the
German city of Duisburg, the Lancaster being flown on this operation by Pilot Officer S.G.
Hordal R.C.A.F.
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The last operation being flown on the 8 May 1945 to Rotterdam as part of Operation
Manna. The Lancaster on this its last wartime flight was Flying Officer D.B. Graham. The
Lancaster completed 114 operations.

ME 801 crashed landed (location unknown) on the 16 October 1945 and was classified
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Category E (Aircraft is a write-off) on the 19 October 1945. Struck off charge by the RAF
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the Lancaster was sent to a 43 Group Maintenance Unit for storage awaiting scrapping.

This aircraft was the subject of a wall painting on the Crew Flight Office at Fiskerton, sadly
the building has now been demolished but a picture of the painting survives.