RAF Scampton’s Gate Guardians: Legendary bombers to Red Arrows jets

During its decades as a working airbase, visitors to RAF Scampton were greeted by proud aircraft which symbolised its aviation history.

From heroic bombing raids in the Second World War to eye-watering aerial feats, the Gate Guardians have become treasured pieces of RAF history.

The final guardian – a decommissioned Red Arrows jet – was sold at auction this week, closing a chapter in Lincolnshire aviation. 

Avro Lancaster – S for Sugar

(1960 to 1970)

The Avro Lancaster that would become Scampton’s first Gate Guardian was given the designation A5868, but was later christened ‘S for Sugar’ by its airmen, or just ‘Sugar’.

It was one of the first 57 Avro Lancasters, produced in Manchester as Metropolitan-Vickers Ltd churned out seven aircraft per month.

It was delivered to RAF Scampton in June 1942 and was allocated to B flight. 

It didn’t take long before the aircraft acquired its first art – a scantily-clad woman kneeling on a bomb, painted on the front turret.

The aircraft was mockingly inscribed with a quote from Nazi leader Hermann Goering claiming “No enemy plane will fly over the Reich territory” – despite the fact that the Allies did many times.

The Lancaster flew 137 missions in total according to the symbols painted on – an extraordinary number in the extremely dangerous theatre of war.

They included daring raids against German submarine yards and preparations for the D-Day landings in Normandy.

It was in service until the end of the war, becoming the first Lancaster to land on an ‘enemy’ airfield, and returning Prisoners of War to the UK.

Due to the exceptional number of completed missions, it was placed in storage but returned to Scampton in 1959 for exhibition.

Records say that it was initially placed so close to the A15 that it was considered a traffic hazard, and was moved further back.

A popular myth claims that it accidentally contained live bombs for years which could have “flattened the northern part of Lincoln, including the Cathedral”, but there has never been any evidence for it.

The aircraft’s condition deteriorated over the years, and it was eventually sent for final retirement at the RAF Hendon Museum in 1971.

‘Just Jane’

(1973 to 1988)

After one of the earliest Lancasters, came one of the final ones to go into production.

NX611 – nicknamed Just Jane after a popular wartime comic – was assembled in the final months of the war, intended to be used in the assault against Japan.

However, the war in the East was ended by America’s use of atomic bombs, leaving Just Jane surplus to requirements.

She was placed in storage for several years until being bought by the French government and used for maritime patrol.

In 1964, she was presented to the Historical Aircraft Preservation Society, and made the 12,000 mile journey home from Sydney to Britain.

She was sold at auction to Rt Hon Lord Lilford, who loaned her to RAF Scampton as a new Gate Guardian. She stood there from 1973 to 1988.

However, she stayed in the minds of brothers Fred and Harold Panton, whose brother had died in a wartime raid and owned part of the former RAF East Kirkby near Horncastle.

They had initially hoped to buy Just Jane at auction, and once her stint at Scampton was completed, they finally struck a deal with Lord Lilford to buy her. 

Former RAF engineers were brought in to help restore the aircraft’s condition. A total of 700 man hours and £7000 were spent restoring the engine alone.

However, the work was successful, and it is now one of just a handful of Lancasters capable of taxiing, and stands proudly on display at the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre.

Red Arrows Hawk T1A XX306

(2012 – 2023)

The third and final Gate Guardian demonstrates the changing face of warfare, with Second World War bombers being replaced by a jet capable of 600 mph.

The twin-seater Hawk T.1A was one of the original jets delivered to the Red Arrows and flew for 32 years.

The Red Arrows arrived at Scampton in 1983 along with the Central Flying Headquarters, as the RAF’s premier aerial acrobatics team.

During its career, the jet that became the Gate Guardian clocked up 7378 hours in the air and just over 13,000 landings.

It flew for the last time on September 26 2012 and was placed in storage – but three years later, the refurbished and reassembled jet returned to Scampton again.

The base was closed by the Ministry of Defence in 2022, with the Red Arrows relocating to the nearby RAF Waddington.

A closure parade was held in September, with Red Arrows and Lancaster bombers soaring overhead. 

It was the final aircraft removed from the base in March amid news that the Home Office planned to use it as emergency housing for asylum seekers.

The Red Arrow jet and its components went under the hammer this week through specialist GPSV auctioneers. 

It was sold for £90,000 after intense bidding during the last few minutes, showing the keen interest that still surrounds Scampton and its aviation history.

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