In memory of a noble sacrifice

8:21pm Wednesday 21st May 2008

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A MEMORIAL has been unveiled to remember the crewmembers of a bomber plane who sacrificed their own lives to save countless villagers.

A group of 120 family members and residents of Castle Eaton, who funded the plaque and stone, gathered outside St Mary's Church to spend the day honouring the dead.

The event, which took place on Saturday, included a two-hour church service, featuring the RAF Brass Band, air cadets from Highworth, and a reception.

The memorial, which now sits outside the church, has been erected to remember five RAF airmen who crashed near the village 65 years ago this month and two soldiers from the area who were accidentally left off the village's current memorials.

Plans for the event, and the memorial, were originally born after Adrian Mackay, read a letter in the Advertiser from Francesca Lozano, asking if anyone knew details behind her grandfather's plane that went down in the Second World War.

After finding out more he wrote back telling part of the story of the Armstrong Whitley Bomber that Sgt Gerald Broadbent, Francesca's grandfather, was flying.

The plane, which had caught fire in May 1943, intentionally avoided the village's school and houses, eventually crashing just outside Castle Eaton.

Sgt Broadbent, who was aged 28 at the time, was one of five men in the plane, alongside Sgt Harry Millward, Sgt Arthur Burn, Sgt Ernest Cooper, Sgt Ernest Russell.

Mr Mackay, who was in the army for nine years, was inspired to create something for these men who bravely gave their lives for a cause bigger than themselves.

He then went about collecting funds and got hold of family members from all over the UK in order to have a proper unveiling.

He said: "I first got interested when I read the Advertiser, I believe we should never forget the people before us.

"It was very emotional, the biggest tribute was the amount of people who attended the ceremony."

Mr Mackay says about 25 family members showed up on the day including daughters, nephews, nieces, grandchildren and cousins from as far afield as Halifax, Oldham and even one from Spain.

He added: "The families were overwhelmed by the hospitality, the spread of food and the friendliness of the villagers and all those who attended.

"Everyone was very grateful to us all, it couldn't have gone any better which is especially good because not a day has gone by since Christmas without me thinking of this day."

The two local men also remembered were John Franklin, from the Green Howard infantry and Kenneth Mills, a man from Water Eaton buried in Italy. Mr Mackay also wanted to thank Arkell's for providing beer for the occasion.