Step inside our paper Lancaster Bomber

Central to Suhail Shaikh’s Paper My Wishes exhibition is a paper sculpture of the central section of a Lancaster Bomber. The inside of the sculpture has been captured in an immersive 3D experience.

Once you have pressed the ‘play’ button, click on the grey circles on the floor to ‘walk around’ the Lancaster Bomber. We recommend viewing full screen.

If you have enjoyed this virtual exhibition, please donate.

The work has been painstakingly put together to tell the story of WW2’s Bomber Command and to remember those that gave themselves for our freedom. We want to stop the memory of them from fading. The sculpture is covered in copies of ephemera, donated by veterans, their families and those who wished to assist in the acknowledgement of the sacrifice of so many. The documents help to tell this story in the words and pictures of those who were there.

55,573 young men died flying with Bomber Command during World War Two; that’s more than those who serve in the entire Royal Air Force today. They came to serve from all over the world, not just from Great Britain but also Canada, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, in total over 62 Nations – the majority of them still in their late teens. Bomber Command suffered the highest losses of any unit during WWII but have struggled for recognition.

Every member of Bomber Command aircrew was a volunteer. They were tasked with flying 30 missions, but the survival rate was usually 3 weeks. The average age at the time of death was 23.