Village memorial for air disaster

Many of the dead are buried in the Holy Trinity Church yard

People in Lancashire have been remembering the 61 people who died when a bomber plane fell on the village of Freckleton in 1944.

The tragedy, on 23 August, was recorded as the worst air accident in Britain during the World War II.

The B-24 Liberator plane set off on a test flight from Warton, when it hit a storm and came down in Freckleton.

Part of the it crashed on the infants' wing of Freckleton Holy Trinity School, where a service will take place later.

Thirty-eight children were recorded among the dead, many of whom were buried in the village's Holy Trinity Church yard.

The wreckage partly demolished three houses and a snack bar, as it crashed in flames along Lytham Road.

Memorial service

A report into the crash found the cause was unknown, and the bomber was destroyed to such an extent that it was impossible to find out how the tragedy happened.

The memorial service is due to take place at 1900 BST on Monday.

Beryl Harbin, whose younger sister was killed in the crash, was in the school when it happened.

"All of a sudden the windows on the left hand side went red," she said.

"We all jumped up and out of the classroom and came across a field, where the water was ankle deep.

"The American soldiers saw what happened."

Albert Kay has travelled from Australia to be at the service.

"I came back in 1974, but this time I've come back especially for this service," he said.

"I wasn't one of the unfortunate ones who lost brothers and sisters, it must be more tormenting for them than it is for me."