HUNDREDS of people will fly past this memorial and not realise the story behind the tree set against the rolling Fenland landscape.
American pilot Captain Donald Roberts was flying his A-10 aircraft on his way back to RAF Bentwaters after a practice bombing run in the Wash when he crashed into a field a mile south of Benwick on April 17 1989.
Reports indicated that he stayed with his plane to avoid crashing down in the village saving many innocent lives.
Arthur and Beryl Lea, who lived in a nearby bungalow called the emergency services when Cptn Roberts crashed. They attended the Ibberson’s Drove memorial eight years ago, when it was ren-dedicated after a farmer accidently knocked down the previous tree.
The 29-year-old pilot from Rochester, New York, was the third American to crash an A-10 in Cambridgeshire in five months.
He was with the 510th Fighter Squadron (the Buzzards) which was stationed at RAF Bentwaters in Suffolk after they were reactivated in 1979 because of the Cold War.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here