Go back to our

main page .....

Avro Lancaster B.X  ~  Mynarski Memorial

Location .....Hamilton Airport,

Owner / Operator .....

Hamilton,

Markings Carried .....

Ontario, Canada

On the night of June 12^th 1944, Lancaster’s of Number 419 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force were part of an attack force, tasked with a raid in support of the D-Day landings. The Allied aircraft were not alone however, Luftwaffe night-fighters were also airborne and they were looking for prey.

The fighter attack was brief but deadly for the Lancaster. In seconds both port engines were on fire and inside the fuselage, an inferno blazed between the mid-upper and rear turrets. Pilot officer Andrew Mynarski, a Polish Canadian, heard the order to bail out. Leaving his mid-upper position, he headed toward the escape hatch. He looked and saw the rear gunner was trapped in the rear turret. Leaving his mid-upper position, he headed toward the escape hatch. Then he looked and saw the rear gunner was trapped in his turret, unable to move. Rather than just leaving his crew mate, Mynarski tried to pass through the flames to rescue the rear gunner. With his flying clothing on fire, he was beaten back by the intense heat, despite all his efforts to release the other man. Returning to the escape hatch, he stood to attention and saluted the rear gunner and then jumped. With his clothing and parachute burning, his rapid descent was easily tracked by the French Resistance, who made their way to him once he landed. Mynarski subsequently died from his terrible injuries.

Such are the fortunes of war, the trapped rear gunner who’s fate seemed inevitable, was in fact more fortunate of the two. When the flaming bomber finally crashed, he was thrown clear of the wreckage and survived to tell the tale.

Pilot Officer Mynarski was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his courage and gallantry that night.

Just two airworthy Lancaster's are left today, the RAF Memorial Flight has one in the UK, but if you want to take a ride in one, you need to visit the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, based at Hamilton Airport in Ontario. Painted to represent the Lancaster in which Mynarski won his Victoria Cross in 1944, his courage and that of all aircrew is honoured and retold to future generations.