The Vickers Vimy was a British heavy bomber aircraft developed and manufactured by Vickers Limited. Developed during the latter stages of the First World War to equip the Royal Flying Corps.
Only a handful of Vickers Vimy aircraft had entered service by the time the Armistice of 11 November 1918 came into effect, so the type did not serve in active combat operations during the war, but the Vimy became the core of the Royal Air Force’s heavy bomber force throughout the 1920s.
During the interwar period the Vimy set several records for long-distance flights, the most celebrated and significant of these being the first non-stop crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, performed by John Alcock and Arthur Brown in June 1919. It is this Vickers Vimy which is on display at the Science Museum. It was specially constructed for the attempt, with additional fuel tanks to extend its range and a revised undercarriage.
The Vickers Vimy was in frontline service until 1929 and then continued in secondary roles until 1938.
You could imagine in a 1930s A Very British Civil War, the Vickers Vimy being used by different forces as bombers, despite their age and vulnerability.