Three people — two of them from South Craven — have received one of the highest Polish honours for their work in highlighting the lives of people who fought for the country’s freedom.

Jim Hartley, of Bradley, Peter Whitaker, of Cross Hills, and Romana Pizon, from Baildon, each received the Pro Memoria medal from the Polish Consul, Piotr Nowotniak, at the Polish Club, in Bradford.

They were recommended for special recognition by Janusz Krupski, a member of the Polish Government, before he died in an air crash near Smolenski, in April this year.

The crash claimed the lives of some of Poland’s leading politicians and intellectuals, including the president Lech Kaczynski.

Mrs Pizon has been recognised for her work with the Bradford Polish Veterans Association.

Mr Hartley and Mr Whitaker received their medals for their work in establishing a memorial to seven Polish airmen who perished when their Wellington bomber crashed at the side of the Leeds Liverpool Canal, at Bradley, on September 23, 1943.

Mr Hartley, 78, an ex-RAF air frame mechanic, has also helped relocate the families of some of the airmen and taken their medals back to Poland.

Mrs Pizon, who helped the two men establish links in the country, said: “I feel very honoured to receive the medal — I feel I don’t deserve it.”

Mr Hartley and Mr Whitaker learned of their honour in a letter from the Polish Consul.

“He told us it had been a request from Janusz Krupski before he died in that terrible crash,” said Mr Hartley.

“It’s a great honour for us both but it all started with us wanting to remember those Polish airmen who gave their lives for the Allies.”