A MEMORIAL plaque to a North-East war hero is to be unveiled, despite the failure to locate his family.

Organisers of the plaque are trying to find the family of Richard Bunker, from Redcar, before the event in April.

Wing Commander Bunker was the pilot of a Stirling bomber which crashed in Windlesham, Surrey, on April 20, 1945.

He and six crew were killed when Wg Cdr Bunker swerved to avoid villagers and crashed in a nearby field.

Patrick Shirley, a former member of the RAF, wrote in a contemporary account of the accident: "We saw the Stirling heading straight for us at a very low level. It was obviously in trouble.

"Thank goodness, from our point of view, it turned to starboard and crashed into a field 400 yards away. We ran to give assistance, but the plane was on fire and the heat was so intense we could get nowhere near the remains of the aircraft."

Bill Lindsay, a member of the Royal British Legion, has led an investigation into the accident in Windlesham and has raised money for the memorial plaque.

Information from the War Graves Commission shows Wg Cdr Bunker was the son of Frederick and Harriet Bunker, both of Redcar.

Anyone with any information about the family is asked to contact reporter Chris Webber, of The Northern Echo, on (01642) 513346.