A history group is trying to trace the family of a Second World War airman who died when his bomber crashed nearly 70 years ago.

Sergeant Reginald Price, of Brighton, was just 19 when his Wellington bomber crashed in mysterious circumstances on a training flight on January 4, 1945.

A local history group, based near the crash site, is trying to contact Mr Price’s family before next year’s unveiling of a memorial to mark the 70th anniversary of the tragedy.

Sue Chaplin, of North Marston History Club, in Buckinghamshire, said: “It is a well known story locally and there are residents alive today who can remember it.

“However, there has never been a memorial for the six who died. We have planned to put a memorial in the local church and we have been trying to get in touch with living relatives to invite them along for the unveiling.

“Three crew members were from New Zealand and we have managed to get in touch with them but we have had no luck at all with Reginald Price’s family. We haven’t even got a photograph of him.”

Sgt Price was an air gunner in the Wellington. There were five others with him on that tragic night.

They were the pilot, flight sergeant Michael Reece, 21, air bomber, flight sergeant Alexander Bolger, 23, and wireless operator, flight sergeant Donald McLennan, all from New Zealand, air gunner, sergeant John Wenham, 19, of Maidstone, Kent and navigator, sergeant Ian Smith, 22, from Beckenham, Kent.

The crew was based at RAF Westcott in Buckinghamshire and they had set out on a training flight on the evening of January 4.

Just minutes later the plane came down on the outskirts of North Marston, not far from the air base, killing all on impact.

Little is known about why it crashed but the court of enquiry findings from the time state the aircraft was in cloud at 5,000 feet when it went out of control and dived towards the ground.

Residents of the village remember seeing the plane on fire plummeting towards the ground before exploding on impact.

The bodies of the crew were removed and buried in the nearby Commonwealth War Graves cemetery at Botley.

Mrs Chaplin added: “We will be unveiling the memorial in the New Year. We really want to get hold of Mr Price’s family so we can invite them along.

“We hope the article will prompt someone to come forward.”

If you are a relative of Mr Price, you can email Mrs Chaplin at chaplin259@btinternet.com.