Bow Street Phantom Lancaster Bomber
There are a few cases of phantom aircraft still flying the skies of Britain and we were recently contacted by a witness called Doug about a ghostly Lancaster Bomber seen in the early 1960’s.
“It would be 1964, give or take a year, that I was driving (with a passenger) north from Aberystwyth to my cottage in Bow Street, when, descending from waun Fawr towards Comins Coch I saw a whitish ghost-like bomber – almost certainly a Lancaster – that may have been in camouflage pattern nevertheless, flying west at perhaps 150 feet, over the Plant Breeding Station, turn south in front on me, and disappear around a hill. I could describe the route with a map in front of me. The plane made no sound, although I was in a car and may have missed that (hard to miss a Lancaster’s engines though.)”
I would love to hear from anybody who knows anything about this plane and whether there have been other sightings.
Re: Bow Street Phantom Lancaster Bomber
Not certain of the date of this posting – but have just read a similar account
First, of a Wellington Bomber (not a Lancaster) seen over Carmarthenshire/Towy valley area. The author claims that residents of Llandovery and Llandeilo have seen this.
A second incident – A date of a bomber lost in a crash of the Wellington is given as January 7th 1944. – a Liberator Bomber type B24 J, took off from Valley (Anglesey) and was lost near Moelfre, Llanfairfechan. NB The author of this book may not give the correct locations of sightings etc in his book, but this is what the text says. The plane being seen in more modern times by a local farmer.
Page 162, "Into the Dragons Lair" Christian Saunders, pub 2003 Gwasg Carret Gwalch
Re: Bow Street Phantom Lancaster Bomber
In 1994 on Llanddwyn Island, Anglesey, I was walking along a beach with my son, then aged 8, when an old warplane appeared out of nowhere and flew straight at us, very low and menacing. It was terrifying and I quite thought we would be killed, in fact I tried to get away by throwing myself and my young son down on the sand. The plane passed about 12 feet over our heads and I sensed a very malevolent presence in it. The droning noise it made was very loud. It had our insignia on it and a line of rust along it. It just cleared a headland at the other end of the beach. It wasn’t until years later when I read on the internet of similar sightings that I realised it was probably a phantom plane. It seems these planes often behave aggressively towards women and children. The sighting we had was not silent – all the sound effects were there.
Re: Bow Street Phantom Lancaster Bomber
I’ve seen this!
Whole family saw it. Thought it was real.
It was at the A44 junction south of Bow Street. Large plane with
green/sand camoflage just above the road.
It did make a noise, but it was faint.
I’ve since seen a flypast by a real Lancaster, at a safe height, and it made a right racket!
There’s only one that is still in flying condition, based in Lincolnshire, so unlikely it was that at Bow Street.