On May 17, 1945, just days after the end of World War II in Europe, a Lancaster bomber from RAF East Kirkby crashed in Wednesfield, Wolverhampton. The aircraft, on a routine training flight, developed engine trouble and went down on Lichfield Road, killing all seven young crew members aboard.
The crash left a large crater and wreckage scattered over two miles. The fallen airmen, aged 20 to 24, were later honored with a local memorial and a pub renamed The Lancaster to commemorate their sacrifice.
