Castleford: Statue to honour WW2 hero pilot unveiled

Pictured left to right: Sgt Smeaton's relatives Duncan and Helena Smeaton with Stephen Williamson and Councillor Jo Hepworth

A memorial honouring a World War Two pilot who is thought to have sacrificed his own life to save hundreds of people has been installed in Castleford.

Sgt Bruce Smeaton chose not to eject from the plane he was flying in 1941 in order to avoid crashing into homes and a school in Cutsyke.

A poppy statue created in his memory has been unveiled by his descendants on Bruce Smeaton Way in Cutsyke.

The road was named after the 22-year-old airman in 2016.

Sgt Smeaton worked at Lloyds Bank and joined the RAF volunteer reserves when war broke out in 1939, before gaining his pilot's wings in March 1941.

Early in the morning of 10 May 1941, Sgt Smeaton took off from RAF Church Fenton in North Yorkshire in a Bristol Blenheim bomber, but became disorientated while flying over Castleford and crashed.

The memorial was built with help from Wakefield Council

Funding for the statue was secured by the Bruce Smeaton Memorial Group with the help of Wakefield Council.

Councillor Jacquie Speight said: "Sgt Smeaton was an incredibly brave man who made the ultimate sacrifice to save others.

"We are all incredibly proud of his actions and it is wonderful to have a statue and memorial board to educate future generations about his actions."