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[BazaJT]

This morning[weather permitting] elements of the U.S.A.F. and R.A.F.-in the form of aircraft from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight-will perform a fly past over Endcliffe park in Sheffield to mark the day 75yrs ago when the crippled B17 crashed there killing all ten aircrew when it went down in the wooded area at the edge of the park.It is believed that they were attempting to set down in the park to avoid crashing into the houses surrounding it but a small group of children were playing there and despite the efforts of the aircrew to wave them away from the danger the children just believed they were being waved at and waved back without moving.Whether this is true and the aircrew sacrificed themselves to save those children or just that the aircraft could simply no longer keep the air will of course never be known.One of those children[8yrs old at the time]has grown and is still with us and for many years he has tended the memorial site erected in the park-sweeping the leaves and generally keeping it clean and tidy.He says he has felt a sense of guilt every day that as a young boy in the park he didn't move out of the way and that the aircrew died as a result.So I suppose the fly past is just as much in honour of him as it is for the aircrew.

[Olympia5776]

A truly remarkable story .
I saw him on BBC morning news a couple of weeks ago being interviewed by the presenter who met him in the park and was bowled over by his story.
All these years he has kept a vigil at the memorial cairn to the ten airmen who perished maintaining it and keeping their memory alive , quietly and for no personal gain.
An example of virtue that is all too rare nowadays .
Had it not been for the presenter striking up a conversation with him it would have continued to have been unnoticed .
A very unassuming man who although has a large family of his own considers the airmen to be family too.
There is a compartment in the memorial for his ashes when the time comes .
I salute him .

[aaronjb]

Full flypast video here from the BBC: https://twitter.com/BBCBreakfast/status/1098869439515295744
Some of the interview with Tony here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-47323045

Very dusty in the office right now. Something in my eye.

[STEMO]

Yes, these modest, unassuming, gentle but determined people are out there. I watched a programme last night about credit unions in Yorkshire. Amongst the usual suspects was an ex army man who lost his wife when the two kids were very young. He ran a club, but packed it in to look after the youngsters, and had devoted his life to them. He wanted £300 to give his, now teenage, lads £100 each for Christmas, and £100 for Christmas dinner and treats. Very humble, very loveable. If I could have found him, I'd have given him the money.

[Kevin Wood]

A truly humbling story. I genuinely hope there'll be principled, remarkable yet ordinary people like him to honour in another 75 years time, but with the "me first!" attitudes that seem to prevail these days, I wonder.

[Bigron]

I think tht dust storm must be blowing this way too, Aaron!

Ron.

[Lizzie Zoom]

Yes it was a very fitting tribute to 10 brave men of the US Eighth Army Air Force who died to save those poor British kids.

Least we forget

[Terbs]

I can't watch that without feeling very emotional. The man deserves an MBE, rather than the snowflake actor/singers/politicians, that get them handed out willy-nilly

[2boxerdogs]

A truly humbling story. I genuinely hope there'll be principled, remarkable yet ordinary people like him to honour in another 75 years time, but with the "me first!" attitudes that seem to prevail these days, I wonder.

.


I too watched this with colleagues in our briefing room at work a really wonderful man & a marvellous tribute to those who lost their lives. However one of my workmates remarked " won't be long now till the vandals smash it" unfortunately that is the type that now prevails.