G for George
| Company type | Aircraft |
|---|---|
| Industry | Military aviation |
| Headquarters | Canberra , Australia |
| Products | Avro Lancaster Mk. I bomber |
| Website | www |
G for George is an Avro Lancaster Mk. I bomber bearing the squadron code AR-G and the serial number W4783. It was operated by No. 460 Squadron RAAF during World War II and is currently conserved at the Australian War Memorial (AWM) in Canberra, Australia.
History
G for George completed 90 operational missions over occupied Europe with 460 Squadron,[1][2] making it the second most active surviving Lancaster bomber after R5868 S for Sugar, which flew 137 sorties with No. 83 Squadron RAF/No. 463 Squadron RAAF/No. 467 Squadron RAAF. The majority of Lancasters were lost before reaching twenty missions; out of 107,085 sorties flown by Lancasters during bombing campaigns over Germany, 2,687 aircraft failed to return.[3] Notably, G for George safely returned every crew member who served aboard throughout its operational life.
After being withdrawn from combat in 1944, an all-RAAF crew made a delivery flight of G for George back to Australia. Subsequently, it played a significant role in promoting war bond sales during a nationwide tour. Following the war, the aircraft was left exposed to the elements at RAAF Base Fairbairn until it was relocated to the Australian War Memorial in the early 1950s.
In 2003, after undergoing a meticulous five-year restoration at the Treloar Technology Centre, G for George was reintroduced to public display within the new ANZAC Hall at the AWM.[4] The restoration aimed to replicate its wartime condition as accurately as possible. The exhibit features an immersive sound and light presentation designed to evoke the experience of a World War II Bomber Command mission, including representations of a German '88' flak gun and a Bf 109 fighter aircraft. This display is inspired by a sortie led by Flying Officer "Cherry" Carter targeting Berlin on "Black Thursday" in December 1943—a day marked by heavy losses when Bomber Command lost fifty out of five hundred bombers assigned, with more than half of those casualties occurring during landings amid severe weather conditions.
G for George stands as a tribute to all Australians who served with Bomber Command and commemorates the sacrifice of the 1,018 personnel from 460 Squadron who lost their lives.
The name 'G-George' derives from the RAF phonetic alphabet used at the time. Each aircraft within a squadron was assigned a letter and identified by its corresponding phonetic term; in this case, 'G' was represented as 'George.' This letter was displayed alongside the two-letter squadron code—here 'AR-G'—on the aircraft's fuselage. Other RAF squadrons also had their own 'G-George,' though paired with different squadron codes, such as Spitfire 'XE-G' from No. 123 Squadron RAF.
See also
- RAF Museum in Hendon – the location of Lancaster "S for Sugar"
Notes
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value). The operational record linked from this page lists only 89.
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ↑ Moyes 1976, p. 328.
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
Bibliography
- Moyes, Philip J.R. Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. 2nd edition, London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 1976. ISBN 0-354-01027-1.
- Nelmes, Michael V. and Ian Jenkins. G-for-George: A Memorial to RAAF Bomber Crews, 1939-45. Maryborough, Queensland, Australia: Banner Books, 2000. ISBN 1-875593-21-7.
