Protection required for the Lancaster Bomber KB882

Deep in the woods of Edmonston, New Brunswick lies the Lancaster Bomber KB882. This plane was flew over Nazi Germany for 14 different combat missions. It was retired in 1964 on the quiet rural airport east of Edmundston.

Toby Kirkby cares for the bomber plane and heads a campaign to construct a hangar to protect the bomber from the elements.

Being one of the only 17 remaining bomber planes that survived WWII, it is a living piece of history. More than 3,300 planes were lost in various battles.

After WWII ended, the KB882 was used for 12 years flying over Canada’s high Arctic to watch the Soviet ice stations, canada.com reports.

While Kirkby never served in the air force or served in war, but he has created one of the largest WWII aviation paraphernalia museums in Canada.

Kirkby had the aviation collection located in the Spitfire Arms Alehouse on Water Street in Windsor, Nova Scotia. The ale house was opened in 2003 and was in a poor state. Kirkby thought that the location would be perfect for the alehouse and after cleaning up the place and six months of restoration, Kirkby found a home for his aviation collection.

His grandmother can be attributed to Kirkby’s love for all things related to a WWII aircraft.

Before long, Kirkby’s love for travel grew stronger and he sold his alehouse. Mychele Poitras was able to secure a new home for the collection at the Madawaska Historical Museum. She is also promoting his dream to create a protective hanger for the bomber plane.

The Lancaster display opened in September and by the end of the year more than 3,000 visitors have heard of the story of the bomber plane. The machine guns were removed and replaced by survey cameras.

The only protection that surrounds the plane is a short steel link fence. The New Brunswich tourist centre lies 100 metres west of the Lancaster Bomber KB882.

Evette Champion

Evette Champion is one of the authors writing for WAR HISTORY ONLINE