CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · General Reference

List of surviving Avro Lancasters

Wikimedia list article

Cross-disciplinary reference desk with index cards, atlas, dictionary and catalogue
General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJan 20, 2026
Entity authorityQ6641955 ↗
Source-derived summary

The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engine heavy bomber used by the Royal Air Force and other Commonwealth air forces during World War II. Of the 7,377 aircraft built, 3,736 were lost during the war (3,249 in action and 487 in ground accidents). Today 17 remain in complete form: two are airworthy, and two others are in taxiable condition with working engines. Of the preserved airframes, eight are preserved in Canada, where some Lancasters were converted and used for Cold War maritime patrols until 1964. Only four of the preserved 17 – KB839, KB882, R5868, and W4783 – flew operational sorties over Continental Europe during the War.

Preserved aircraft

Australia

Canada

France

New Zealand

United Kingdom

United States

Wrecks

In addition to the 17 complete surviving planes, there are a small number of known complete or near-complete Lancaster wrecks.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “List of surviving Avro Lancasters” as wikimedia list article. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around List, surviving and Avro.

Editorial reviewA dependable orientation record for establishing vocabulary, names and a first evidence trail. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1964—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with List, surviving and Avro providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “List of surviving Avro Lancasters”, the useful work is to connect “wikimedia list article” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jan 20, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6641955. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1964.

Critical limits

Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “List of surviving Avro Lancasters”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow List of surviving Avro Lancasters primary sources, List of surviving Avro Lancasters archive and List research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “List of surviving Avro Lancasters”?
  2. Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
  3. What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “List of surviving Avro Lancasters” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.