Point of Interest
Avro Lancaster Mk 10P (AR) KB882
Street Address: Edmundston Airport, Saint-Jacques, NB
Located at the Edmundston municipal airport is a Second World War Lancaster bomber, a national aviation treasure. It is one of 430 Mark "X" models of the Avro Lancaster built in Canada by Victory Aircraft in Malton, Ontario, and one of 7,377 produced during the Second World War. This bomber arrived in the United Kingdom on 4 March 1945 and became part of the Royal Air Forces No. 428 (Ghost) Squadron of the 6th Bomber Group. Although part of the RAF, No. 428 was a Canadian manned squadron. Its first operational mission occurred over Dortmund on 12 March 1945, with Fight Lieutenant W. L. Ross the pilot. KB882 flew a total of eleven operational missions before the war ended.
After the war Lancaster KB882 was flown back to Canada and turned over to the RCAF where eventually it saw service with No. 408 Squadron. During this period it was employed in Arctic reconnaissance and on various Cold War missions. When Lancasters where replaced, the City of Edmundston purchased KB882. On 14 June 1964, it flew its final fly past and landed at the municipal airport, where it remains today, one of only seventeen Lancasters known to exist. A project is underway to raise a million dollars to restore the aircraft and construct a hanger. For more information see: www.lancasterkb882.com.
Photo Credits Harold A. Skaarup