It was the afternoon of October 7, 1944 that the war came closest to the village of Southrepps, near Cromer.
Derick Grey, a ten-year-old schoolboy, was walking along Green Lane with friends when a stricken US B-24 Liberator swooped low over their heads and disappeared from view.
The children raced after it and saw it had landed in a field, south of Thorpe Market Road and to the east of the Norwich-to-Cromer railway line.
Two crew members were standing on top of the aircraft, a third was safe inside. Police soon arrived, the area was cordoned off and the children shooed away.
The other seven members of the crew had bailed out. Of them, six had survived, but the parachute of one - Sgt Edward J Mire, a gunner - had failed to open. His body was found later, six miles away, at Suffield.
Two of the aircraft's four engines had failed as it headed for a raid on Germany, forcing the crew to make an emergency landing. But, remarkably, those who remained on board managed to execute such a text book landing that the aircraft - 'Buzz Bomb' - while in need of repair, remained salvageable.
All that was needed - apart from the repairs - was a runway to get it back in the air. So the Americans descended on the village and set about building one.
Over the next six weeks, a temporary runway was assembled out of steel sheets. Initially, it sank into the mud, but, once straw was layered underneath, was strong enough to get the bomber airborne once more and back to its 458th Bomb Group's Horsham St Faith base.
Mr Grey, now 81, and of Cradle Wood Road, North Walsham, still has vivid memories of the crash and its dramatic aftermath. Over the years he has researched it extensively, but has one loose end he is now trying to tie up - to track down the family of the tragic gunner, Sgt Mire.
'That was an exciting time for us boys,' he said. I can still remember it all. But now, I would really like to know that Sgt Mire's family knows we haven't forgotten him.'
About 20 years ago, Mr Grey told the story to Peter Sladden, owner of Southrepps Hall. Mr Sladden had established a Memorial Avenue of trees along the village's Long Lane, commemorating local people lost in the two world wars. And he was happy to add another tree, in memory of Sgt Mire. A service of Remembrance is held at the site every year.
But Mr Grey is troubled that any family of Sgt Mire, probably living in the USA, will be unaware that their relative is honoured and remembered in north Norfolk.
He is hoping that publicity will lead to the story getting mentioned on websites and through social media, and that it will eventually reach anyone who knew, or is related, to him.
He recalled the excitement he and his friends felt as the US descended on the crash site. Mr Grey remembers cycling past now and then and asking 'Have you got any gum, chum?' He added: 'They were ready for us and always gave us what they called 'candy'.'
On one occasion, one of his friends invited a GI home for tea, and Mr Grey went too. 'We all sat down and, just before we were about to start, he said: 'Just a moment. We will say grace before we eat.' I've never forgotten that,' he said.
The B-24s engines were often tested during that period but the young Derick knew, as he sat and ate tea one Sunday, that the noise he could hear meant the aircraft was taking off.
He raced to watch and caught a sight of it, lifting into the air and heading towards the railway line and Gunton Station.
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