Relatives of US WWII airmen to attend unveiling of Bletsoe memorial

On Sunday 14 August, relatives of some of the American Airmen who lost their lives during WWII in a field in Bedfordshire will join villagers to unveil a commemorative memorial and information board.

Residents in Bletsoe have raised over £3,000 to purchase the memorial to the nine US Army Air Force personnel whose plane came down in a field in the village in 1944.

On Sunday, 21 Americans are travelling to Beltsoe, including four who are relatives of the crew.

Read: Bletsoe residents launch fundraiser for memorial to US air crew whose plane crashed in village field

The day will begin with a service of remembrance at 9am in St Mary’s Church. Two nephews and a niece of the airmen have been invited to read and lead the prayers.

One of the nephews will then unveil the memorial before attendees take a short walk to the site of the crash.

“On the field will be a display in gazebos of the artefacts I have collected and the display of information about the young men in America and while they served at Thurleigh,” explained one of the organisers, Mary Laws.

The organisers have had the support of the Aircrew Remembrance Society who will be there on the day.

They will be bringing B-17 items recovered from the site as well as a display stand about their investigation into the crash. They will also lay a poppy wreath at the memorial in the churchyard and a poppy cross to place at the site of the crash.

Everyone is welcome to attend.