A SERVICE next month to remember six Canadian airmen who died during a Second World War nighttime training flight will take on added poignancy.

2024 marks the 80th anniversary of the tragedy which claimed the lives of the young crew, when its Wellington bomber Mark III BK387 crashed in thick fog on the hillside above Oakworth.

There were no survivors.

Oakworth Village Society holds a memorial service at Tewitt Lane, near to where the plane came down, each year on a Sunday close to January 2 – the date of the crash.

The anniversary service is on Sunday, January 7, at 2pm.

Janet Armstrong, for the village society, says: "It is important that we continue to mark the incident and remember the six young men who died in this dreadful accident, thousands of miles away from their families and friends.

"They were training to support the desire for peace and freedom for each of us.

"Their lives, like so very many others, were cut short and we should commemorate their sacrifice."

Councillor Luke Maunsell, who represents Oakworth ward on Keighley Town Council, praises the village society and wider community for ensuring that what happened isn't forgotten.

He says: "The people of Oakworth owe the deepest of thanks to the fabulous village society and all its partners who keep the memory of Tewitt Lane alive.

"Visiting the site has become a vital pilgrimage for so many, and it will be all the more poignant as we mark eight decades since the incident.

"Everyone is welcome to attend the service and pay their respects."

The fateful crew, from the Royal Canadian Air Force, was on a flight from Ossington airfield in Nottinghamshire when the plane crashed.

Those who died were the pilot Warrant Officer Class 2 Ernest Israel Glass, navigator Flying Officer James Justin McHenry, wireless operator and air gunner Warrant Officer Class 2 Jack Henfrey, air bomber Warrant Officer Class 2 James Edwin Dalling and air gunners, sergeants Norman Willard Crawford and Emery Savage.

More about them can be found on the Men of Worth Project website, at menofworth.org.uk/archives/war-memorials/tewitt-lane-canadian-memorial

Acting commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force, Major General Sylvain Ménard, says the organisation is "honoured and deeply moved" that the crew members continue to be remembered.

He says: "Members of the Royal Canadian Air Force risk their lives around the world on a daily basis.

"Annual commemorations like this remind us of our legacy, and offer a fitting tribute to our lost members.

"On the 80th anniversary of the crash, we are honoured and deeply moved that the people of Oakworth continue to remember them. We are fortunate to have such great friends in the United Kingdom."