RESIDENTS will be paying their respects to the crew of a World War Two bomber that crashed in a Sussex forest eighty years ago.
The Wellington bomber crashed in July 1941 in Ashdown Forest while returning from a raid on Cologne. All of the plane's six-man crew were killed in the crash almost 300 miles away from their base in Binbrook in Lincolnshire
A report of the incident described the bomber hitting the ground at a slight angle before catching fire, with the squadron wing commander attributing the crash to poor weather and a faulty engine.
People will pay tribute to the servicemen in a special memorial service later today.
James Adler, CEO of Ashdown Forest, said: "The average age of the crew was just 23 - the price they paid was honoured back then and will be by future generations of local people and visitors to the forest.
"The Remembrance Sunday memorial service for the airman is a poignant but very significant date in the forest's calendar.
"It is a day for us all to focus on a tragic event in the tranquillity of the forest - and remember the sacrifices that were made to ensure we have the freedom to enjoy it today."
Flight Sergeant Henry Alexander Vincent Vidler, Sergeant Victor Sutton, Sergeant Wilfred Stanley Brooks, Flight Sergeant Arthur Ernest Cave, Sergeant Thomas Stanley Hathaway and Flight Sergeant Leonard Saunders were all killed in the disaster.
Mystery still surrounds the plane's final hours, as there remains uncertainty about whether its mission was successful or not.
Martin Berry from the Ashdown Forest Research Group said: "As we mark eighty years since the loss of the Wellington, we are keen to try and piece together the memories of local people who have information about that fateful day.
"There may be some inaccuracies and inconsistencies in people’s recollections but the images that are left in our minds are still striking: of a stricken aircraft already on fire flying over Fairwarp towards the Forest where it then crashed, and of local people, including children, running or riding their bikes to the scene and desperately but vainly trying to save the airmen."
The research group has gathered more detailed information on the bomber and its crew, reviewing original sources found in the RAF and National Archives. The full research is set to be published on their website in due course.
The service to the airmen will take place today at 11am.
Have you got a story for us? Email news@theargus.co.uk or contact us here.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with all the latest news.
Sign up to our newsletter to get updates sent straight to your inbox.
You can also call us on 01273 021 400.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here