In pictures: Remembering when a Vulcan bomber roared in the skies above Hastings

The RAF's Vulcan Bomber XH588 arrived on Saturday June 15, as part of a summer event organised by local man Roger Crouch, who also started the first Hastings Pirate Day celebrations.

Crowds of people gathered on the West Hill to get a good view of the aircraft.

The aircraft, named The Spirit of Great Britain, was restored for use in display flights and air shows. It flew in from RAF Manston in Kent, passing over the Old Town and flying along the seafront and over the pier, which was then still a burned out wreck following the fire of 2010.

The Avro Vulcan is a jet-powered, tailless, delta-wing, high-altitude, strategic bomber, which was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) from 1956 until 1984. As a part of the V-force, the Vulcan was the backbone of the United Kingdom's airborne nuclear deterrent during much of the Cold War.

I recall the aircraft passing over Hastings Old Town and the incredible noise it made, which resembled a sonic boom. You could hear it miles before it arrived but when overhead the noise was deafening and its distinctive ‘V’ shape very dramatic. As it arrived, every seagull in the Old Town took to the air as one which was quite a sight in itself.

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