ABOUT 80 people turned out on Sunday to honour the sacrifice of two airman killed in a plane crash in Pogmoor 77 years ago.
Every year a service of remembrance is held in Creswell Street, Pogmoor, at the site where a stricken Whitley bomber crashed into a quarry - now a playing field - just yards from densely populated streets.
It is believed the pilot, Sgt Alexander Hollingworth, of the Australian Air Force, deliberately sacrificed himself to save lives on the ground, flying into the quarry.
Windows were blown out in nearby houses, including Cresswell Street, but nobody on the ground was injured.
Sgt Alexander Buchanan of the Canadian Air Force, was also killed after unsuccessfully trying to bail out in the final seconds before the crash.
Fr Peter Needham led the service on Sunday at 10.10am - the time at which the plane crashed exactly 77 years earlier. A bugler sounded the Last Post before a minute’s silence, observed by the crowd which included Mayor of Barnsley Coun Steve Green.
There were standard bearers from organisations including the Royal British Legion, the Royal Air Forces Association and the Airborne Comrades.
The ceremony is organised each year by the Pogmoor Area Residents Association.
