Relatives mark Lancaster bomber crash anniversary
BBCThe relatives of airmen killed in a Lancaster bomber crash 80 years ago have gathered at the site in Leicestershire to mark the anniversary.
The crew had taken off on a training flight from RAF Faldingworth, in Lincolnshire, but it is believed the plane was struck by lightning.
Some witnesses said the pilot had banked hard to avoid coming down in the centre of Wigston, probably saving many lives.
Arkadiusz Skorski, 30, great-nephew of airman Wacław Brzeziński, who was killed, said: "I am proud of him and the whole crew - brave men, young men, losing their lives to save the local community."
The plane's crew were members of the Polish air force who had opted to stay in Britain rather than return home to Communist rule after World War Two.
The debris from the crash - in a field behind All Saints Church of England Primary School - damaged several homes.
The relatives joined residents in Wigston at the crash site in the school grounds for the anniversary memorial on 4 February.
Wing Cdr Colin Green, 53, from RAF Whittering, in Peterborough, represented the Royal Air Force at the ceremony and said he "absolutely believed" the crew lost their lives to save the town.
"They were selfless, they'll have known exactly what was happening, they'll have known the aircraft was stricken," he said.
"They were trying everything to avoid the town, making the aircraft lighter by getting rid of all the equipment that's extraneous. And they made that ultimate sacrifice by missing the town, losing their own lives in the process."
Peter Wilford, who was seven years old at the time of the crash, said he remembered running outside in the rain and finding some of the equipment which the crew had dropped overboard before the aircraft came down.
He kept part of a pair of headphones, which he gave to the Polish relatives after the service, and told them: "Do you realise the last words heard through these jack points was Polish."
His comments brought tears to the eyes of Agnieszka Skórska, niece of Brzeziński. She handed over a log book, which was found with her uncle, to be included in the school's collection of memorabilia.
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