Calls for memorial to World War Two Gloucester air crash 'hero'

Robert Coventry was the pilot of a Bristol Blenheim bomber which crashed

Villagers are calling for a memorial to a World War Two pilot who is believed to have sacrificed his own life to avoid crashing into a school.

Robert Coventry, 27, was the pilot of a Bristol Blenheim bomber which crashed in a field near Gloucester in September 1940 while on a training mission.

He was killed after apparently staying at the controls to avoid hitting Quedgeley School.

Survivors and relatives want to honour the "hero" with a permanent memorial.

Helen Tracey said Flt Lt Coventry was "a hero"

Helen Tracey, whose mother Margaret Cale was a six-year-old pupil at the school at the time of the crash, said it was important the pilot was not forgotten.

"If the plane had hit the school on that day, mum would have died and therefore I would never have been born," she said.

"He is a hero. He was killed why trying to save the lives of all those children. I owe my life to him."

Peter Hickman, 90, who was 10 at the time, said creating a memorial would be "a nice thing to do".

The aeroplane came down in a field near Gloucester

He said he remembered seeing the aircraft flying low and heard the crash in a nearby field, before running with friends to see if he could help.

"We saw the plane burning and stood there absolutely shocked. We were unable to do anything," he said.

"We couldn't get near it. I felt very sad. It was very brave of him."

The aircraft was on its way back to Cambridgeshire on 23 September 1940 after carrying out a simulated bombing mission off the Welsh coast when it suffered engine failure.

Peter Hickman said the pilot was "very brave"

It was attempting to land at an airfield near Gloucester, but came down in the nearby [then] village of Quedgeley.

The pilot, Flt Lt Robert George Coventry, from Wiltshire, was killed, but two other crew survived.

He is buried at Down Hatherley church near Gloucester.

Discussions over creating a memorial are still in the early stages, but Quedgeley Town Council chairman Steve Smith said he would look into the idea of erecting a plaque to "commemorate the bravery" of the pilot.

Flt Lt Robert Coventry is buried at Down Hatherley church