HE raced cars, played the violin and his dashing good looks bore more than just a passing resemblance to swashbuckling Hollywood heart-throb of the day Errol Flynn.

But real life hero Harold Williams died at just 23 in the cockpit of his Spitfire in the skies above Wiltshire while practising dog-fights during World War Two.

On Sunday the tragic flyer will be honoured in full military fashion alongside another rookie Spitfire pilot close to the spot where they crashed into each other 73 years ago.

In a remarkable twist and with just a few days to go the organisers of the poignant Spitfire Memorial at Seagry near Malmesbury have finally tracked down a member of Mr Williams’ family to attend the ceremony.

Ironically and after an exhaustive nationwide search, his second cousin Lorna Heads, 79, lives just a few miles away in Swindon.

Mother-of-three Mrs Heads, of Moredon, said: “I am amazed and surprised at all of this. Obviously I am delighted to be attending this ceremony and I am very proud of Harold.

“I never met him. I was only six when he died. But I was always aware of Harold because my Aunt Beatrice had a photograph of him in his flying kit which she kept on the shelf.”

Mrs Heads will now join several hundred people, along with military top brass and civic leaders for the unveiling of a lasting monument to the pilots who collided over Seagry during a training exercise in 1941.

The ceremony, which will include an RAF fly-past and a guard of honour, follows a remarkable community-led campaign to erect in plaque in honour of the young pilots as a permanent reminder of their sacrifice Flying Officer John Brewster, 25, from Yorkshire and Pilot Officer Harold Williams, of Putney, both of 118 Squadron, were flying Spitfire Mk1s when they crashed into each other over Seagry Mill on Palm Sunday, April 6, 1941.

Both men, who had only just begun flying, are buried nearby at St Giles Church, Stanton St Quintin.

The campaign for a memorial was sparked when Seagry resident Martin Painter came across a piece of metal from one of the aircraft in a field. It led him to unravel the sad story of the two young pilots which few villagers were even aware of. When he put his idea of a memorial to the parish council it received wholehearted backing.

He said: “As time goes on I really think we need something there, otherwise it will be lost in history. I did a lot of research into the incident. These young pilots with virtually no training put their lives at risk in service of their country.”

The campaign raised £1,500 for a stone memorial and plaque that will be located on the grass verge of Seagry Road, at the junction of Five Thorn Lane.

Mr Painter said it was imperative to trace relatives of the men to attend the ceremony and he was able to find members of Mr Brewster’s family. But despite endless months of research and contacting newspapers around the UK with possible links to Mr Williams’ family he drew a complete blank. “I’d done just about everything I could think of,” he said. Mrs Heads, a Swindon resident for 50 years, heard about his search a few days ago after Mr Painter made a last ditch radio appeal.

She said: “When I heard they were looking for relatives of Harold Williams I thought ‘that has to be our Harold’. I’ve been doing a bit of family history and I knew he died in Wiltshire but nothing other than that.”

Harold was a cousin of Mrs Heads’ mother Mary. Mrs Heads said Harold’s sister Irene also wrote a book about growing up in the blitz and that helped fill in some gaps about the brave young pilot, who worked as an engineer at Brooklands racing track and also raced.

Mr Painter was thrilled when Mrs Heads, who has five grandchildren, contacted him almost out of the blue. He said: “After all this time and with Sunday’s ceremony fast approaching it’s incredible that we have found a relative of Harold Williams.

“What’s remarkable is that she lived in Swindon all the time when I’ve following leads all over the country.”

l The Seagry Spitfire Memorial will be unveiled in the village at 10.45am on Sunday. The ceremony will be conducted by a team including a padre from RAF Brize Norton. The organisers expect a formation flypast of Tiger and Hornet Moths followed by – weather permitting – a ten minute Spitfire tribute display.