Lancaster Bomber being armed

Original Silver Gelatin photograph, c. 1942

16 x 21 cm

Stamped to reverse ‘Copyright this photograph must not be reproduced without the permission of Aeroplane’ and ‘This photograph has been passed by censor’.

The photograph of the Swinderby based 50 Sqn – was taken in 1942. Either at the June reopening of the aerodrome with its new concrete runways (replacing grass) or in August when the photographers descended on the aerodrome again to take photographs for aircraft recognition purposes.

Everitt survived the war – having flown 56 operations for which he was decorated three times, subsequently he was a bombing instructor, commanded a V-bomber squadron, and played golf into his nineties. He died in 2012 and the Telegraph published an excellent obituary.

Provenance: from the collection of Philip J R Moyes, author of many books on the RAF, most notably The Pictorial History which ran to several volumes.