Operation Manna 80th Anniversary Event – April 29, 2025 (10:00 – 15:00)

2025 will be an eventful time of remembering our history of 80 years ago.  1945 marked the end of WWII in Europe and the Pacific.  Windsor had a very specific part in it when a pilot from here by the name of Bob Upcott led the first, and arguably most dangerous since they were unarmed, humanitarian air drop of food on April 29 in his Lancaster bomber.  The Dutch were starving after the Nazis commandeered most of the food in the Netherlands, reduced to eating tulip bulbs to survive, and Bob and his crew flew the first test mission dropping gunny sacks of non-perishables like flour, tinned meat, sugar, coffee and tea, dried peas and beans, salt, mustard and of course, chocolate, at a race track near the Hague.

This year we honour Bob and his faithful crew at our museum on April 29.  We’ll be open from 10 – 3, and appropriately, admission will be a non-perishable food item to be given to local food banks through the #unemployedhelpcentre.  You can participate in the commemoration by bringing the same items as were in the Operation Manna burlap bags dropped out of the bomb bay of a Lancaster bomber similar to our own at the museum, or any non-perishable or a monetary donation if you prefer, that we’ll collect and provide to those locally in need.

A commemoration ceremony will be held at 11:00 in front of Lancaster FM212, and we’ll be hosting the #timmermanscollection P51 and Spitfire on our north ramp, weather and mechanicals permitting.  We’ll also have some special items available for sale in the gift shop.  Tulips?  Chocolates anyone?  Should be a great day.