A 93-YEAR-old Bomber Command veteran from the North-East left his medals at a service station en route to the unveiling of a new memorial to those who served in the squadrons.

The 30-metre high Bomber Command memorial spire was unveiled in Lincoln on Friday and displays the names of tens of thousands of air crew who died protecting the country.

Among the veterans attending the event was Donald Nicholson from Houghton-le-Spring, near Sunderland, who misplaced his medals.

The International Bomber Command Centre sent a message out on Facebook asking for help, which has been shared more than 2,000 times.

The message said: "A Bomber Command veteran has lost his medals at a service station on his way to the Memorial, somewhere near Newark, possibly Spital services.

"Please like and share and hope we can get them back to him safely."

During the Second World War, Mr Nicholson served as a flight engineer in the Royal Air Force, completing 31 operations with the 44th Rhodesian Squadron.

He had a lucky escape in 1944 when the plane he was flying in was shot out of the sky over Hamburg.

“We didn’t crash because I used my ability to save the crew by counteracting the dive we were in by manipulating the trim,” said Mr Nicholson, who lives with his daughter, Joan, 64.

“The plane came out of the dive. There were seven of us on that plane.”

Around nine years ago, Mr Nicholson met his partner, Francis Aitcheson, who also served as an Army chef during the Second World War.

  • Have you found the medals? Email newsdesk@nne.co.uk or call 01325-505065