Hero Angus back in the cockpit after 66 years

A SECOND World War veteran has set foot inside a Lancaster bomber again, 66 years after he bailed out of one over occupied France.

Angus Galloway, 88, was forced to eject from a Lancaster on August 3, 1944, when his plane was hit by bombs from another Lancaster during a raid.

Now he has been back inside one of the bombers for the first time since his hurried exit, during a visit to the Canadian War Museum in Ontario.

Mr Galloway's trip was made possible by the BIG Lottery Fund's Heroes Return scheme, which pays for veterans to revisit the places they served in wartime. The RAF veteran, who lives in Slateford, visited the Canadian airfields where he trained, as well as spending a day at the Museum.

He was given a VIP tour of the plane and had the chance to get into the bomber's nose cone, just as he did during his wartime bombing raids over Europe.

Mr Galloway said: "The thing that really struck me right away was 'How did we get in there with all the gear?' Because it was very, very tight with your suit on and your parachute."

When Mr Galloway bailed from the nose cone of his Lancaster, his troubles were only just beginning. On landing, he was captured by German troops and later forced to march 150 miles in freezing conditions between the prison camps Stalag Luft 7 and Sagan.

Climbing into the bomber again brought back some difficult memories, but Mr Galloway enjoyed the experience: "It was a bit emotional to go down into the bomb aimer's part at the front of the aircraft, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

"We bailed out from where the bomb aimer lay - there was a trap door. You just put your head down and dropped. There was no time to think about it - the plane was on fire."

Mr Galloway also spent time chatting to the museum's Lancaster enthusiasts.

He said: "(The Lancaster] was being worked on by volunteers. They were very good. They explained everything and let us into the aircraft to show us everything."

Mr Galloway was accompanied by wife Lileh, 81, and son Keith, who said his father was also able to explain a thing or two to the volunteers.

He said: "They were asking him lots of questions, 'Do you bail out looking down the plane or up the plane?', things like that.

"When he was inside the plane he was saying 'This table here had my computer on', and they said 'Computer?' He was able to tell them a lot about what was inside the plane. The day was just brilliant - the whole trip was worth it just for that day."