ONE of the last wishes of the a historian has been fulfilled - six months after his death.

A painting has been hung at Northallerton's Stone Cross civic centre as a lasting memorial to Michael Riordan and a young pilot who was killed in an air crash near the site 62 years ago.

Just before his death in February, Mr Riordan had asked former district councillor and town mayor Jack Dobson to complete research on three wartime air crashes in the town.

He had been commissioned by Northallerton Town Council to study the crashes and place paintings at the location of each disaster.

Work on two was finished and paintings by local artist Alf Alderson now hang in the Applegarth School and at Romanby Golf Club.

And now the chairman of Hambleton District Council, David Smith, has hung the final painting in the civic centre reception, watched by Mr Dobson and members of Mr Riordan's family.

"The council are delighted to be able to hang this painting at the civic centre - honouring both Michael and the young pilot," said Councillor Smith.

"We want to thank everyone who has been instrumental in making this possible, especially Michael and his family. It will be on permanent display in the building for all our visitors to see."

* A Spitfire from 131 Squadron, at RAF Catterick, came down in fields on the Stokesley Road just beyond Stone Cross on July 27, 1941.

The 24-year-old pilot from Cambridge, Sergeant Steven Harold Daveson Durrell was on a training exercise when the plane dived to the ground from 32,000 ft.

He was killed instantly but the cause of the crash has never been established.