The village of Great Ouseburn, near Boroughbridge is marking the 70th anniversary of a historic wartime plane crash by making a permanent memorial.
The plaque will be unveiled during the village’s spring festival on Sunday 29th April. It will commemorate the 1942 crash where a flight carrying Russian military officials crashed into a field, killing all on board.
The crash attracted some interest as it was suspected that the engine fire that caused the plane to plummet was the result of a Nazi plot; but no evidence of sabotage was ever found.
The four Russians on board were on a secret reconnaissance mission before a planned secret visit by the Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov. The other six passengers on board were members of the RAF.
The plaque will be revealed after a short presentation by local historian Kev Cale.
Cllr Keith Scott, chairman of the parish council, said: “The Great Ouseburn plane crash caused an international scandal at the time and 70 years later, it is attracting renewed interest. We thought it was time that there was a permanent memorial to mark the site. The plaque is inscribed in both English and Russian as a tribute to the victims of both nationalities.”
84 year old Margaret Stead who lives in Leeds was an eyewitness to the event. Descendants of two of the pilots who perished in the crash are expected to attend the unveiling of the plaque.
The Great Ouseburn spring festival includes a full day of events and attractions including a craft fair, plant stalls and garden jumble sale.
For more information go to www.great-ouseburn.org.