Fly-past recalls Lord's WWII role

In June, before their Ashes series victory, the England cricket team paid a two-day visit to Flanders Fields in Belgium, scene of World War One's most bloody battles.

That visit followed similar trips made by the Australian team to WWI battlefield sites at Gallipoli in 2001 and the Somme in 2005.

"It's important to take a step back from cricket at times and this visit was a deeply moving and humbling experience for all of the players and management," England captain Andrew Strauss said after visiting war graves in Belgium.

But the England team, and Strauss in particular, didn't have to stray very far from home to pay their respects to fallen servicemen.

At the back of the pavilion at Lord's, where Strauss has spent his entire career with Middlesex, is a small, unobtrusive plaque.

The chances are that a whole host of cricketers, and even members of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), which owns Lord's, have walked past it countless times without even giving it a second glance.

And yet, in its own way, it could be said to be as moving as better known war memorials such as the Menin Gate or the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior at London's Westminster Abbey.

The plaque's inscription reads: "Many entering the RAF (Royal Air Force) through Gate No 1 Air Crew Reception Area at Lord's during the Second World War gave their lives. Our enjoyment of cricket reflects their sacrifices."

For three years during WWII, Lord's was transformed from being the headquarters of world cricket into a recruitment centre for volunteers wanting to join the RAF.

Sunday's one-day international between England and Australia here at Lord's witnessed a fly-past by a WWII RAF Lancaster Bomber to mark the 65th anniversary of the closure of the Air Crew Receiving Centre.

As the plane flew over Lord's, it dipped its wing and received a standing ovation from a capacity crowd - the first of the match - and the England players in their pavilion dressing room.

But three deliveries after the second pass, England saw Strauss caught and bowled by Australia off-spinner Nathan Hauritz as he exited during a collapse that saw four wickets in all lost for 23 runs.

Veterans from the RAF's Bomber Command visited Lord's for the match while the Central Band of the RAF entertained the crowd during the mid-innings break.

Squadron Leader (Retd) Tony Iveson, chairman of the Bomber Command Association said: "The return of several veterans of Bomber Command to Lord?s will surely recall memories of reporting to the most famous cricket ground in the world as very young aircrew volunteers. Three out of every five would become casualties, most of them being killed."

Several famous cricketers saw active service as pilots during WWII, including Australia all-rounder Keith Miller - a fans' favourite in the immediate post-war period because of his attacking style.

Those wartime experiences of Miller, whose first and second names came from two pioneer Australian pilots, Keith and Ross Smith, perhaps explained his exuberant approach to life on and off the field.