Page 38 - John George Blair

AVRO LANCASTER MK 1

SERIAL NO NG273

SQN CODE UL-Y2

CALLSIGN Y- YOKE2

Built by Sir W.G. Armstrong Whitworth & company, Whitley Works, Coventry

Delivered to Squadron November 1944

Air Ministry Contract NO: 239/SAS/C

Fourth Production Batch of 400 airframes. Average rate of production 14 airframes per
week.

Total Mk 1 and Mk 1 (FE) airframe production by Sir W.G. Armstrong Whitworth &
Company was 911 Lancasters.

The Whitley Factory and its sister site at Bagington (now Coventry Airport) were obvious
military targets, so from August 1943 to late 1945 final assembly of the airframes took
place at dispersed final assembly factories. In the case of NG 273 the Lancaster was
assembled at RAF Bitterswell, now Magna Park Industrial Estate on the A5 outside
Lutterworth in Leicstershire.
A total of 1,329 Lancasters of various marks were assembled and test flown
from Bitterwell.

Y-Yoke2 flew 30 operations with 576 Squadron. The Lancaster post war was issued to 150
th
Squadron, 576 Squadron having disbanded on 13 September 1945. The Lancaster was
subsequently stored once taken off Squadron strength at RAF Silloth, Cumbria and struck
nd
off charge there and scrapped on the 2 June 1947.