The Avro Lancaster KB882 was built in November 1944 by Victory Aircraft Ltd. in Malton, Ontario. It was one of 430 Lancasters built in Canada. In March of 1945, it was ferried to England and taken on strength by the 428 “Ghost” Squadron, 6 Bomber Group. The Lancaster flew 11 combat missions before the end of the Second World War. In June of 1945, it returned to Canada and became part of “Tiger Force”, Canada’s contribution to the air war in the Pacific. The war ended prior to deployment and the Lancaster was placed in storage at MacLeod, Alberta.
In 1956, the Lancaster was modified and delivered to 408 “Goose” Squadron at Royal Canadian Air Force Station in Rockcliffe, Ontario. The most notable modification to the aircraft included a 40-inch extension ahead of the cockpit to house the additional camera and RADAR installations. For the next 8 years, the Lancaster flew photo mapping, intelligence gathering, and photo reconnaissance missions including the surveillance of numerous Soviet ice stations. It was also used for photo and intelligence gathering during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October of 1962.
Struck off strength in 1964, the Lancaster was bought by the City of Edmundston, New Brunswick and placed on display at the local airport. The Lancaster KB882 was moved from Edmundston in October 2017, to the National Air Force Museum in Trenton, Ontario.
