FOUR generations of the family of the only Englishman on board Andrew Mynarski's crew travelled to the North-East for Saturday's statue unveiling.

Ellen Vigars, 80, widow of Flight Sergeant Roy Vigars, came from her home in Guildford, Surrey, with her son, Jeff and his wife Carol, her grandsons Christopher and Paul, their wives Anna and Lou, and her great-grandson Ben, who is four.

The ceremony, held at the St George Hotel, at Durham Tees Valley Airport, proved an emotional one for all the family.

Jeff, from Mere, in Wiltshire, said he was certain his father, the Lancaster's flight engineer, who died in 1989, would have wanted to be there.

"It was brilliant, absolutely excellent," he said. "I can tell you that both Carol and Lou were in tears. I have to say it was a very emotional moment, even though the rest of us here had seen the statue delivered.

"The reason we have got such a large gathering, with my sons and Ben, is so they are aware. I think it brought it home to Paul in particular. It really got to him."

One of the highlights of the day for the Vigars was meeting sculptor Keith Maddison and hearing how the statue was created.

Another was their reunion with Shirley Friday, widow of the Lancaster's bomb aimer Jack Friday, who had made the trip from Thunder Bay, Ontario, with her daughter, Barbara.

The two families had previously stayed with one another in England and Canada, and met at crew reunions, but had lost touch in recent years.

Mrs Friday, 79, said: "I couldn't wait to see Ellen because they came to our house and stayed with us. The crew was all so friendly and we all met up in France at one time. I don't think it was unusual that the crew was so close."

She said she thought the ceremony was "beautiful". "Having the Lancaster fly over so frequently was a real treat," she said.

Ellen told The Northern Echo: "I didn't know whether I was going to see Shirley, so it was a wonderful surprise.

"Roy would have thought it was so wonderful that after all these years this was going on. I was really taken aback myself by all the preparation."