PLANS to erect a second memorial statue for a war hero are nearing completion – but not as first planned.

Aviation historians wanted to erect a replica statue for Andrew Mynarski, the Canadain airman who died trying to save his comrade on their blazing Lancaster bomber, in his homeland.

The original plan was to build a replica of the Andrew Mynarski statue that stands at Durham Tees Valley Airport, which was sculpted by North-East man Keith Maddison.

However, a statue project sub-committee in Winnipeg has passed a motion to appoint Charlie Johnson as artist for the statue in Pilot Officer Mynarski’s birthplace.

Groups who have raised money in the North-East for a replica statue said they were disappointed the statue would not be same. They are now considering legal action because they said a verbal agreement had been reneged upon.

Angela Jobson, from the Wartime Memories Project, said: “I’m pretty disgusted, really.

The whole idea of having the statue over there was to have a link between the two communities. It was our idea in the first place. We have done all the work on it.”

The Northern Echo started its Forgotten Hero appeal in June 2004 to raise £40,000 for a statue – a year later the statue was erected outside Durham Tees Valley Airport.

The Wartime Memories has continued fundraising to build a replica, but said donations had been made on the understanding it was a replica.

The Northern Echo tried to contact the Mynarski Statue Project sub-committee but received no reply.

Minutes issued by the committee showed that the artist selected has been given a retainer to start work on the project. It estimated the full cost would be 50,000 Canadian dollars.