Village honours WWII New Zealand airmen

Air Marshal Sir Colin Terry unveiling a memorial plaque in memory of the crew of a Wellington bomber that crashed in North Marston on January 4, 1945. PNL-150514-140532001

North Marston has honoured the lives of six airmen who died when their Wellington bomber crashed near the village during a navigation exercise in the Second World War.

A memorial plaque was unveiled in St Mary’s Church on Anzac Day, April 25 by Air Marshall, Sir Colin Terry at a service attended by 160 people including members of the British Legion, the Royal Air Force, the Army and the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

Many relatives of the crew attended the service, including eight who had flown over from New Zealand. Three of bomber’s crew were from New Zealand.

The crash happened on January 4, 1945. The crew were in Bomber Command training at nearby RAF Westcott and had just taken off for a night navigation exercise when the plane fell from 5,000 feet. The cause of the crash is unknown.