On a Wing and a Prayer - 57 & 630 Squadrons

A new display will be unveiled at the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre at the East Kirkby Airshow on 1 August. This will be located in the “Wellington Hut” and will focus on the largely unknown and certainly unheralded work of Air Sea Rescue during World War II. Des Knock, a Tattershall-based aviation artist, whose own father served on High Speed Rescue Launches during the War, has contributed to the exhibition. It will include the story of the rescue of the crew of 57 Squadron Lancaster A-Able (ND 471) that ditched in the North Sea on the night of 21/22 June 1944. The crew was:

Pilot Officer A E Nicklin (Pilot)
Flying Officer W F Martin (Navigator)
Sgt. N G D Copeman (Flight Engineer)
Flight Sergeant P S Baker (Bomb Aimer)
Sgt P Foster (Wireless Operator)
Sgt J B Johnson (Mid Upper Gunner)
Sgt J Hobbs (Rear Gunner)

Bill Martin, as many of the Association will know, was the grandfather of our own Information Officer Wendy Rothery.

More information on Des’ work can be found on his website here. He will also be trading in the hanger where you may see a selection of his work including “On a Wing and a Prayer” depicting A-Able and her last efforts to get home.