Herefordshire weather vane declared official war memorial

A weather vane bought in a reclamation yard has been declared an official war memorial.

Owners Helen and John Theron were surprised to discover it had been made in memory of seven RAF airmen who lost their lives during World War Two.

When they bought it they did not spot an inscription on it and it only came to light when they moved to Hereford.

About 40 relatives of the airmen were invited to an unveiling of the weather vane, which now also has a plaque.

Mrs Theron said: "We'd wanted a weather vane for a long time and we got it from a reclamation yard at the back of a small garden centre in 2009."

In 2018 they took it down and packed it up when they moved house to Herefordshire.

"If we'd come straight here and put it straight on the roof we wouldn't have noticed it," said Mrs Theron.

But it was left in a box while they had some work done on the house and someone noticed the inscription JB453 OL-F.

When they looked it up, they discovered the inscription corresponded to a Lancaster bomber which went down during the Battle of Berlin in 1945 - one of the last offensives of World War Two.

After carrying out some research, Mrs Theron said the couple had another surprise when they were contacted by the International Bomber Command Centre in Lincolnshire, which remembers those who served with Bomber Command.

The couple were told the weather vane would be classified as a war memorial and it warranted "a full unveiling with a plaque".

Mrs Theron said they had no objections and saw it as a "huge honour".

They traced the families of the seven men and invited as many as they could to the official unveiling at the couple's home, with another 40 people thought to have watched it over the internet.

The couple now plan to donate the weather vane to RAF Wyton, where the Lancaster was based, in their will.

Mrs Theron said: "It's a lovely closure to give all these men - to pay homage to them and thank them for what they've done."

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk