Lorraine Evans

Lorraine Evans is a professional Mortuary/Aviation Archaeologist and Death Historian, specialising in non-conformist burial practices, funerary art & architecture, and aviation gravesites. A former Post-Grad Research Fellow at the IISPGP, she is a successful author of a number of books, including, Kingdom of the Ark, Burying the Dead - An Archaeological History of Burials, Graveyards and Cemeteries, Life of a Medical Officer in World War and the recent release Boneyards of Steel - Exploring The World’s Aviation Graveyards. An acknowledged curator of several archaeological exhibitions throughout Scotland, Lorraine has also worked as an academic advisor on countless historical projects and documentaries for major TV companies, such as Secrets of the Dead (Channel 4), The Tutankhamun Deception (Channel 5), Gladiatrix (Channel 4) and The Soaring Stones (The History Channel).  Lorraine has spent ample time in the field, and has served on a number of archaeological committees, including The Institute of Field Archaeologists, Scotland, The Kirkmichael Trust, The International Society for the Study of Egyptomania, as well as Media Manager for the Journal of Wetland Archaeology. Now ‘Commander-in-Chief’ of the aviation group A.R.G.O.S. (Aviation Research Group Orkney and Scotland), she is currently working on the remains of two Second World War Spitfire aircraft and is the head of the Barrel of Butter Spitfire Project.

Lorraine’s new work, entitled Gate Guardians - Champions of the Aviation World, aims to take the reader on a flight of discovery, a mechanical odyssey of detection, chronicling the history and events surrounding the extraordinary aircraft displayed outside military bases and beyond. From a ‘possessed’ Harrier GR7A fighter jet, that fiercely guards the entrance to RAF Wittering, to proud old war heroes, such as the mighty Vulcan bomber XM607, a veteran of the Falklands War, at RAF Waddington, each metallic giant has a unique story to tell. Once symbols of progress, these aeronautical marvels now stand as a reminder of human achievements and ambitions, compelling you to think about the past, the present, and the insurmountable flow of time. In essence, they are the unyielding custodians of a narrative that should never be lost or forgotten.