Members of the Derry Hill WI accompanied by husbands, sons and even grandsons visited RAF Lyneham on Wednesday 9th March to see XH558, the last AVRO Vulcan bomber in flying condition.

Toni Hunter from the charitable trust Vulcan to the Sky, now the owners and operators of the aircraft, took members through the beginnings of the project at the start of the Cold War to design and construct a high altitude bomber as part of a credible UK strategic deterrent to the present day.  Built in 1960, XH558 was stood down from its front line role in 1969 and only saw action in anger in the Falklands campaign in 1982.  Saved from the scrapyard, XH558 was restored and is maintained to flying condition at enormous expense with a dedicated team of volunteers.  Members were told they would be among the last to see it at RAF Lyneham since the aircraft was due to leave shortly.

Watch out for it at flying displays this coming spring and summer!