A MEMORIAL commemorating a fatal plane crash that killed six American military personnel more than 70 years ago will be unveiled this weekend.

On July 3 – two days before the 78th anniversary – a plaque remembering the crew of the Flying Fortress will be unveiled during a special ceremony.

In 1944 the bomber plane clipped its wing on the roof of Burbidge’s Bakery, before careering off into nearby fields.

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The crash was branded the worst of its kind across the district during the wartime years. All six crew members aboard the plane died, while two residents on the ground were treated for minor injuries.

And now a memorial plaque and accompanying monument will be unveiled at the site of the crash.

History enthusiast Peter Curtis has spent around two decades researching the crash - he was one of the first on the scene and will be there to introduce the memorial.

All six crew members were American, and much of Peter’s research, which was carried out alongside fellow Andover-based history enthusiast Doug Morley, centred around naming those men.

The researchers have now been able to connect with the family of one of the victims, S/Sergeant Tilgham ‘Tim’ Williams, a gunner and engineer of Duval County, Florida.

The memorial has been designed by Dominic Atfield will be unveiled at the Forecourt of Burbidge’s Bakery, on Weyhill Road.

During the ceremony, Colonel Charles E. Metrolis USAF Air Attaché will unveil the plaque, while Rev. Sam Scott, the associate vicar representing St.Michaels’s Church will give a blessing.

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Children from Portway School will also be in attendance to pay respect and lay poppies as most of the debris from the crash, including the plane, landed on the field where the school now sits.

Speaking about why he has carried out the research and championed the memorial, Peter previously said: “The crash stayed with me. The American forces had a big presence in Weyhill Road in the 40s. As a nine-year-old they would always talk to us, and the flight path virtually went passed our bedroom window – my brother used to count them (the planes) out and back in again.”

The event was funded and organised by Burbidge's Bakery.

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