Priors House gets a flying visit from World War Two Lancaster Bomber

Home news

Jul 10, 2018

A resident at Priors House received a flying visit from a World War Two Lancaster Bomber as a surprise from his daughter.

Former RAF pilot and 96-year-old resident, Owen Scott’s daughters, Nicky and Toni secretly arranged a flyover at Priors House to celebrate 100 years of the RAF. 

Owen was called up to serve in WWII when he was 21 and decided to volunteer to be a pilot. After training in Florida for a year, Owen earned his wings and became Flight Lieutenant Owen Scott DFC for the 170 Squadron – and served in the RAF for three years. 

During his time in the RAF, Owen took part in 31 missions, flying over 27 different aircrafts, and in 1944, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his admirable service to the United Kingdom. Owen has since recorded his RAF experiences on a number of CDs and took part in an un-released BBC film.

The RAF is where Owen met his late wife of 73 years, Nan, who he moved to Priors House to be with. He often remembers when he used to fly over where she worked as a way of saying hello when they were courting.  

On the day of the flyover, Owen was joined by his family, residents and team members, as they all proudly waved the union jack and waited for the highly-anticipated arrival. The moment the Lancaster Bomber flew directly over the home brought cheers, laughter and smiles to everyone, with many of the residents spending the rest of the day sharing life stories from WWII.

Francine Summers, home manager at Priors House, said “Reminiscence is incredibly important for older people, and this was the perfect occasion for residents to remember their younger years.

“Owen sometimes has difficulty remembering day-to-day activities, however he has had no trouble remembering the flyover and his excitement lasted for days – he’s still talking about the flyover now!

“Thank you to Nicky and Toni for helping us organise such a special day for the residents.”