THE bravery of a Second World War airman is to be honoured with a statue in his home city - after his countrymen were inspired by The Northern Echo's Forgotten Hero appeal.

The Canadian Aviation Historical Society is preparing to launch a bid to erect a replica of the sculpture of Andrew Mynarski - which stands at Durham Tees Valley Airport - in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

The society, backed by politicians, historians and relatives of Mynarski and his crew, will need to raise £30,000 to achieve its aim.

But campaigners are confident of success. They say many people in Canada were touched by The Northern Echo's determination to create a memorial of the air gunner in the North-East.

Bill Zuk, from the Canadian Aviation Historical Society and Manitoba Aviation Council, said: "I think we have a really fabulous opportunity here.

"Everyone I have spoken to, from members of parliament to military organisations, wants to play along.

"What we are doing at the moment is creating a body of like-minded people interested in the project. It's really exciting."

Pilot Officer Mynarski died, aged 27, after battling to save the life of his friend, Pat Brophy, aboard their flak-hit Lancaster bomber on a wartime mission over France.

His heroism - which led to him plummeting from the plane, on fire from the waist down - resulted in a posthumous Victoria Cross.

The Lancaster's crew flew from a Royal Canadian Air Force base, which is now Durham Tees Valley Airport.

The Forgotten Hero appeal, launched 60 years after that fateful June 1944 night, aimed to raise £40,000 for a bronze statue of Mynarski at the airport.

It eventually succeeded in collecting more than £76,000, and the 8ft sculpture was unveiled by Pat Brophy's daughter, Colleen Bacon, in June.

Sculptor Keith Maddison, from Northumberland, said he was thrilled that a copy of his creation was to cross the Atlantic.

"I think the plan for a second statue in Winnipeg is fantastic, as it's highly appropriate that Andy should have the same statue in his home town."

He added: "When the possibility of a second statue was first mentioned, I was reminded of the statue of James Cook at Whitby and the replica on Kauai, in Hawaii, both of which I have seen.

"Standing in front of the Cook statue, on that small island in the middle of the Pacific, it felt as though somehow there was an invisible thread connecting me to Whitby. It would be nice if we evoked similar emotions with our two statues."