A DUTCH town wants to honour an Enfield man shot down and killed in a Second World War bomber.

Flying Officer George Huttlestone, 22, died with six crew members when his Lancaster bomber was hit by anti-aircraft fire and crashed near Nieuwdorp, close to the border with Belgium on March 20, 1945.

Now Hans van Dam, a volunteer at the town's liberation museum, wants to piece together the story of the crew so he can build a memorial to the men who gave their lives fighting the Nazis.

He said: “In the museum several people told different stories about the accident so I decided to find out what really happened that day.

“At first I thought it would cost me a few months to create this story – but the story seems to have a mind of its own and writes itself.

“We are planning to build a small monument for the crew members and so far we have managed to get two streets in our village named after the crew.”

He called for family members or anyone with information to help him complete the background to Fg Off Huttlestone's life.

The Enfield bomb aimer started his tour of duty in October 1944 with fellow crew members Lindsay Bacon, Richard Evans, Harry McClements, Johnny Taylor, Jim Cornwall and Philip Tennant.

Mr van Dam said the plane was returning from a mission to bomb railway yards in the German town of Recklinghausen when the plane entered enemy airspace over the Netherlands and was shot at, damaging the engine.

He added that Fg Off Huttlestone jumped out of the burning plane using a parachute just before it crashed – but died on the journey to hospital, while his comrades were killed in the wreckage.

After builders found parts of the plane last year when laying foundations, Mr van Dam decided to try to honour the British crew.

According to military records, Fg Off Huttlestone's parents were William and Violet, and his Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve number was 154615.

Do you know who George Huttlestone was? Can you help trace his family or fill in the gaps in the story? Call the Enfield Independent on 0208 359 5906.