Ash does what the Luftwaffe couldn’t

HOPE of seeing the Lancaster make a low run over the Chadderton factory were bombed by the ash cloud

Cloud grounds flypast of legendary Lancaster

THE dreaded ash cloud managed what the Luftwaffe failed to do — keep a Chadderton-built Lancaster bomber from flying.

It was due to soar over the town yesterday in tribute to the centenary of the world famous company that built it, but was grounded by the ash spewing from an Icelandic volcano drifting across England.

Alliot Verdon Roe (AV Roe) founded the first company in the world for the sole purpose of designing and manufacturing flying machines in Manchester in 1910.

His Avro’s factories included the massive Greengate operation in Chadderton, now BAe systems, which produced the war-winning Lancaster bomber among many famous aircrafts.

During the Second World War, 29,000 people in Oldham were employed building Lancasters. It made its first flight on January 9, 1941 with 7,337 built throughout the war, costing up to £50,000 each, around £1.6 million today.

It was due to dip low over the Greengate factory during a flypast from Manchester Airport but was cancelled because of the density and low level of the ash cloud, leaving gathering crowds disappointed.

A Manchester Airport spokesman said: “Unfortunately it seems the ash cloud has managed what the Luftwaffe failed to achieve — and has kept this marvellous plane out of the sky.”

A TV helicopter filming the great Manchester run was also forced to land.