IT was a beautiful night when the crew of a Lancaster bomber took off from the Lincolnshire airfield where their squadron was based.

Seven men were aboard, including 23-year-old Flight Sergeant Stanley Honour, who came from Corfe Castle.

Their mission that day, July 27/28, 1944, was a bombing raid over Stuttgart in Germany. They never came back.

That night their plane crashed near Mirecourt, Vosges, in Nazi-occupied France, after being attacked by a Luftwaffe plane.

Now, 59 years on, the possibility of erecting a memorial to honour Stanley and the other fliers who lost their lives is being explored.

Michael Batty, who lives in New South Wales, Australia, is the nephew of the Lancaster's pilot and he has spoken with people from the village in France about putting up a plaque, or similar memorial, to mark the scene of the crash.

"Flight Lt Stanley Honour was the son of Percy Eli and Amy Elizabeth Honour of East Street, Corfe Castle," he said.

"Having trained as an air bomber, Stanley was posted to 103 Squadron at Elsham Wold Lincolnshire who, on the night of July 28, 1944, were tasked to raid Stuttgart.

"This was the worst night of the war for the two Elsham Wold squadrons, losing eight aircraft.

"Stanley's Lancaster, piloted by my Uncle Joe, Flight Lieutenant J B Moss, was attacked by a night fighter over Mirecourt in Vosges, France, and exploded in mid-air.

Recently I visited the crash site and obtained a piece of the aircraft.

"The villagers have agreed to build a memorial with a dedication probably on the 60th anniversary and I am seeking relatives of Stanley who may be able to provide a photograph and anecdotes."

Since visiting the grave of his Uncle Joe, Michael, whose parents came from Wilmslow, Cheshire, has been busy researching the sad story of what happened on that June night.

The explosion that fateful night had awoken all the villagers of Xaronval and the local men, including the men rushed out to find out what had happened.

A parachute was found on a house and the villagers searched for the crew.

One man had fallen near the main road and another, with his machine guns,, lay yards from the wreckage. Others were in the wreckage.

Two villagers and two German soldiers guarded the area and after two days, coffins arrived.

A hundred and fifty local people attended a service as a chaplain said prayers.

Flowers were laid and the German soldiers fired shots in the air before the burial party, including the mayor, went to the cemetery at Charmes.

"Of the 18 planes that took off, only nine landed back at base and another five were so badly shot up they limped back to England and landed anywhere they could.

"The other four from 103 Squadron were shot down," said Mr Batty.

The 103 Squadron - that had originally been based at Beaulieu in the New Forest - was one of two squadrons

Any memorial that might be erected would have to be a short way from the exact spot where the aircraft came down in a farmer's field, said Mr Batty.

He can be contacted via e-mail at michaelbatty@ tpg.com.au or PO Box 287, Mosman, NSW 2088, Australia.