Speaker draws in the men to WI meeting

Visitors to this month's meeting of Holton le Moor WI EMN-181015-103958001

They had been drawn to the Moot Hall because of the subject of the speaker, Mike Chatterton.

A former Lancaster Bomber pilot with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, Mike delivered a fascinating talk on his long flying career.

‘A Tale of Two Lancasters’ highlighted the shared experiences of his own and those of his father, WW2 pilot John Chatterton, in flying this iconic aircraft.

In 1990, on the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, Mike piloted the ‘Lanc’ in the flypast over Buckingham Palace, when a million poppies were dropped over the Mall.

However, his greatest thrill was to share the cockpit with his father as co-pilot in ‘The City of Lincoln’ PA747 in 1993.

Mike regularly pilots Lancaster ‘Just Jane’ taxi runs at East Kirkby Aviation Heritage Centre.

Keeping things in the family, Mike’s daughter now pilots gliders, so flying is definitely in the blood of the Chattertons.

Mike’s talk, which included film footage and the familiar sound of the Lancaster, was a fitting addition to Holton le Moor WI’s 100th Anniversary celebrations, which also, of course, coincide with the Centenaries of the RAF and the end of the Great War.