Byron Davies AM
A Welsh Conservative AM today expressed disappointment that two World War Two Lancasters taking part in displays as part of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will not be coming to Wales.
The Lancasters will be visiting air displays in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands, but not Wales.
This is the first time that two Lancasters have been seen flying together since the 1960s. One of the planes has travelled nearly 4,000 miles from Canada for the memorial flights.
The first of these public displays took place on Thursday in Eastbourne.
While it may be too late to organise a Lancaster visit, Byron Davies has now called for a route to be flown over Wales, perhaps while the planes are travelling from one show to another.
Byron Davies, Assembly Member for South Wales West, said, “I am disappointed that an opportunity to showcase the Lancasters in and above Wales appears to have been missed.
“In the month we are marking the centenary of the start of the First World War, there is greater interest in the role Britain played in conflict and the duty we have to remember the sacrifices made to preserve the freedoms we enjoy today.
“The Lancasters played a proud role in defeating fascism in the Second World War and it is important that their contribution is recognised.
“While there will be a number of air displays in Chepstow, Rhyl, the Vale of Glamorgan and other parts of Wales, showing off Hurricanes, Spitfires and Dakotas, it would be a shame for the iconic Lancasters to be omitted.
“I hope this omission can be swiftly corrected and Lancaster flight plans could be altered slightly to allow people in Wales to see these magnificent and now rarely seen planes in flight over the country.”
