Six Young Lives

When a Wellington Bomber on a training flight from a nearby Operational Training Unit crashed in the village in January 1945, all six of the young crew members were killed. At the time, it was just another tragic incident of wartime, but it left its mark on the memories of several village residents who thought there should be a memorial to these young men in the village. The History Club, under the leadership of our secretary Sue Chaplin, mounted a fund-raising campaign to commission a stone plaque in the church. Relatives of the crew were invited to the village for the unveiling service in April 2015 attended by representatives of the RAF and NZAF (some of the crew had been New Zealanders). The day was captured on camera by local resident Charlotte Chappell and her photographs made into a DVD by club chairman, John Spargo. To see the film on YouTube, click here.