It's the deadliest aviation accident in Manx history
Relatives of some of those killed in the deadliest aviation accident to ever happen on the Isle of Man will be marking its 80th anniversary today (Wednesday 23 April).
On the 23 April 1945, 31 men were killed when a US military aircraft crashed into the side of North Barrule.
Some of their family members have now travelled from America to pay their respects at the place where their loved ones died.
Ivor Ramsden from the Manx Aviation and Military Museum says it will be an emotional moment:
What happened?
Towards the end of the Second World War, some members of the US military's ground crew were given permission to have a few days off.
Based in Ridgewell in Essex, 31 men boarded a B17 Flying Fortress bomber for the peaceful mission and took off at around 8am.
At 10.15am, the aircraft was approaching the north east coast of the Isle of Man.
At the time, a local farmer noticed the plane flying in very low from the coast and recalled staring at it 'in terror' as he realised it was flying straight towards the mist-covered North Barrule.
Moments later, it disappeared into the fog before a 'terrific explosion' could be heard.
All 31 men were killed instantly.
Those who died there were taken back to England where they were buried at the American Military Cemetery at Madingley near Cambridge in the largest funeral ever seen there.
Whilst visibility was poor at the time, a definitive cause of the crash has never been determined.
How is the anniversary marked?
In 1995, a permanent memorial was funded by Maughold Parish Commissioners which includes a plaque and a flagpole.
Every year since, the Manx Aviation and Military Museum has raised an American flag at the site to honour those who died.
Today, to mark the 80th anniversary, relatives will gather there for a moment of reflection at the time of the crash.
It's been organised by members of the museum, with people travelling from America and Northern Ireland for the occasion.
You can listen to Ivor's interview in full, along with a relative of one of the victims of the crash, in the below episode of Manx Newscast:
In 2021, Culture Vannin commissioned the below short film, which follows Mike Corlett, who remembers the crash from his youth, and members of the Manx Aviation and Military Museum & the Maughold Parish Social Club, on their journey up North Barrule on the 76th anniversary.
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