A MEMORIAL plaque commemorating a group of Canadian pilots who lost their lives when their plane crashed on a Lake District fell will be revealed next week - 80 years after the tragedy.

A plaque has been created to 'gratefully remember' the eight crew members of The Royal Canadian Airforce crew of Wellington Bomber HZ715 who died on Red Pike, above Buttermere on Friday, June 16 1944.

In 2019 James Mills, the late Gywn Evans and Hugo Thomson (both from Loweswater) first discussed the idea of creating a plaque, choosing St James Church at Buttermere as the ideal spot, due to it being 'in line of sight of the crash' at a rockface just feet below the summit of Red Pike.

Covid later got in the way of any planning but at the start of 2024 the idea came back to life. James said: "At beginning of 2024 it was decided that, if the Memorial was to come to fruition, it has better be put in hand sooner rather later."

A service unveiling the plaque will take place at St James' Church Buttermere on November 19 at 1pm.

Accompanying the plaque will be a church pamphlet detailing the story. It states that the airmen flew 'off track' by 25 miles during their flight, and this led to them flying over different terrain than planned. The aircraft was heard flying over Buttermere but it failed to clear the ridge between Red Pike and High Seat.

The aircraft struck the rock face just feet below the summit of Red Pike - all on board were killed.

Revd. ​Barbara Robinson of St James' Church said: "They were Canadian and they joined the British army to fight with us in the Second World War, their plane crashed on Red Pike just near Buttermere, and we just felt like they had not really been remembered.

"It was something that was talked about by James, Gywn and Hugo they all talked about doing something about it, and I think we all just thought we need to remember these people because they were there away from their families and they were fighting for us, for our freedom.

"We just felt there needed to be some memorial for them, because they were as important as everyone else fighting for us and there was no remembrance for them.

"We have got a couple of memorial things in church which are for British soldiers who fell during the war and we just felt that they're as important and they need to be remembered.

"It's 80 years as well so we just thought, let's go for it."