A MEMORIAL plaque removed from a disused RAF base in Windrush is to be rededicated in August to coincide with the death of Sergeant Pilot Bruce Hancock.
The plaque commemorates Sgt Hancock’s heroic sacrifice when he rammed his unarmed training plane into a German bomber to defend the small Gloucestershire base during the Battle of Britain.
In August of last year the plaque was taken from the base by well-meaning staff from nearby RAF Brize Norton who thought that it was loose and likely to be vandalised or stolen.
Not knowing that the plaque was taken by staff from Brize the farmer who owned the land and occasionally checked on the plaque reported it to Gloucestershire Police as missing and set The Standard onto the case.
An anonymous tip off led to staff at Brize being asked about the mixup which was then corrected when the plaque was handed back to the village with an apology and a promise to aid in the repatriation of the copper memorial.
Spokeswoman for the base Flight Lieutenant Rachel McCulloch added: “Once the date has been fixed we will be happy to happy to support in any way we can.”
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