80th anniversary of the Pemrokeshire air crash

On 19 September 1944, an RAF Liberator bomber crashed in the Preseli Mountains, killing six RAF soldiers and injuring three others.

It has been described as one of the worst air disasters in Wales during the war.

On the 80th anniversary, members of the Pembrokeshire Aviation Group and locals went to the crash site to remember the crew.

“As the years go by and World War II becomes more and more of a thing of the past, it is important that we have things like this here.”

The Pembrokeshire Aviation Group was formed 40 years ago to commemorate the incident and organize a memorial plaque.

Founding member John Evans said: “We are proud to have been able to erect a memorial here 40 years ago.

“Hikers can come across them, they can think about the names and realize that something terrible happened here.”

Member Malcolm Cullen said he had encouraged hikers to make the walk up to the monument.

“A disaster has happened here, but the surroundings are beautiful and you have the opportunity to move your feet and get some fresh air.

“They say if the plane had flown a few meters higher, it would have escaped unscathed.”

On the afternoon of the crash, Warrant Officer Stan Kearey and his crew were off duty after completing a nine-hour anti-submarine patrol the previous day.

That changed when the Royal Navy offered to use one of its submarines for an exercise. The crew was quickly contacted and alerted.

All except one – gunner Danny Quinn, who was in town doing his laundry.

When he returned to his barracks, he found that his team had been called out. The next morning, he learned that his teammates had crashed in the Welsh mountains.

Four crew members are buried in Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire.