Avro York C1 at the RAF Museum, Cosford, Shropshire, 8 July 2020. The York was a civil and military transport employing the wings, engines and undercarriage as the Lancaster heavy bomber.

The prototype first flew in 1942 but the York only entered limited production and when it entered military service in 1943 it was on a small scale (usually as VIP transports – including for Winston Churchill and King George VI). It was not until the war ended that full scale production began (and even that was short lived). This was because the UK had obtained the American government’s agreement to supply the RAF’s transport needs so that the British aircraft industry could concentrate on producing combat aircraft.

However, post war the York was outdated compared to American aircraft such as the Douglas DC-4 and Lockheed Constellation which came to dominate the civil sphere whilst the Handley Page Hastings was under development as a military transport to replace the York. Thus production of the York ceased in 1948.