Wartime bombers reunited

British and German planes targeted cities and industry

Six heroes of the only surviving RAF bomber crew have come face-to-face for the first time in 57 years.

Retired pilot Tom Grossett, 79, from Pentwyn, Cardiff, has spent the mission of a lifetime tracking down his fellow brave crewmen from World War II.

The crew flew in American-made Martin B26 Marauders

Mr Grossett found four of them in different parts of the UK - and eventually traced the fifth crew member to Australia.

He has been waiting anxiously to meet Jimmy Spence - the tail gunner in the warplane - who flew from his home in Sydney for a reunion in Manchester on Saturday.

All the crew members were in their early 20s when they flew bombing missions to defeat the Nazis.

"We are all 78 and 79 now but all of us remember our time together with great affection," Mr Grossett said.

Others in 39 Squadron are dying off but our crew just seem to go on and on and we seem to be a bit invincible

Wartime bomber Tom Grossett

"We came together as youngsters barely out of school and flew this huge American Martin B26 Marauder bomber.

"We were based on the Adriatic coast of Italy and went on raids into Yugoslavia to help the partisans fighting the Nazis.

"Others in 39 Squadron are dying off but our crew just seem to go on and on and we seem to be a bit invincible."

Detective work

The crew - who have nicknamed themselves "The Invincibles" - flew 13 missions in March and April 1945, dropping their 4,000lb load of bombs on railways, roads and Nazi gun sites.

Both air forces tried to hit factories

The war ended soon afterwards and the friends went their separate ways, all promising to keep in touch with one another.

Mr Grossett remained close friends with navigator Rex Waller from Bruton, Somerset, and bomb aimer Maurice Webster from Southport, Merseyside, but lost contact with the other three crewmen.

In 1979 he traced wireless operator Bill Madeley from Barnsley, Yorkshire, and mid-gunner Len Wilson from the Isle of Man.

But he could not locate Scotsman Jimmy Spence, despite much detective work.

There are hundreds of RAF associations and groups from the last war, but these old timers are the last complete crew left from the war

MoD spokeswoman

His persistence finally paid off and the last piece of the jigsaw fell into place when he discovered Jimmy had moved to Australia in 1950.

Mr Grossett - who worked as a sales rep after the war - said: "When I rang Jimmy he got the shock of his life, but as soon as I said 'It's your old skip', he was ecstatic.

"As soon as I suggested a reunion he was off to buy his air ticket.

"It will be terrific to see him again after all these years. It should be quite a reunion.

'Amazing story'

"We are all feeling very patriotic after the Queen's Jubilee - especially the flypast with the Red Arrows and Concorde - it was magnificent."

Jimmy worked in the aircraft industry in Sydney until his retirement and is the only one of the six who is not a grandfather.

A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said: "It is quite an amazing story.

"There are hundreds of RAF associations and groups from the last war, but these old timers are the last complete crew left from the war."