An American Second World War hero who has been missing for 80 years could be found in a landmark archaeological dig in Essex.
Second Lieutenant Lester Lowry was flying a P-47 Thunderbolt during a wartime training exercise when it crashed in Essex on January 26, 1944.
The 23-year-old pilot was not seen to eject from the plane by locals who watched it crash to the ground and burst into flames.
As such, it has remained “missing in action” for more than 80 years.
Now, in a field close to Great Bardfield, archaeologists are working to uncover the remains of the wreckage – with the hopes of repatriating some to Lt Lowry’s home in Pennsylvania.
The operation is being overseen by the US Department of Defence PoW/MIA accounting agency (DPAA), the UK’s Ministry of Defence, and Cotswold Archaeology.
Some 230 volunteers were involved in the dig across seven acres of debris field, sieving more than 20 tonnes of soil and recovering more than 450 kilograms of airframe material.
Lt Lowry was part of the 487th Fighter Squadron which accompanied bombers on sorties against the Luftwaffe.
He is thought to have crashed after losing control in a heavy cloud after he set off from his RAF base at Bodney, Norfolk.
The excavation, and its findings, will feature on an episode of More 4’s Hidden Wonders series, which begins on November 4.
Lt Lowry was part of the 487th Fighter Squadron which accompanied bombers on sorties against the Luftwaffe
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COTSWOLD ARCHAEOLOGY
Sandi Toksvig, set to present the show, said the team was “piecing together the untold story of a young man who never made it home”.
At the time of his crash, Lt Lowry only had 47 hours of training, less than half the recommended time due to pilots being rushed into combat.
Ms Toksvig added: “When we were looking into the death of Lt Lester Lowry… we discovered a wonderful 90-year-old man called Peter [Morris]. He could remember the day of the crash.
“We had presumed that Lester Lowry had died because he was inexperienced… There were about 150 kids in the schoolyard, and Peter thinks that Lowry missed the school on purpose.
“Suddenly the whole story flipped on [its] head. Maybe Lowry wasn’t inexperienced. What he actually was, was a hero.”
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Some 230 volunteers were involved in the dig across seven acres of debris field
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COTSWOLD ARCHAEOLOGY
Discoveries from the dig included the engine’s cylinder heads, valves, pistons and fuel system pipes, as well as remnants of the fuselage and wings.
The remains of some armaments, including M2 Browning machine-gun components, were also unearthed.
Sam Wilson, Cotswold’s lead archaeologist, told The Guardian: “The most exciting thin are those that connect us to Lowry directly such as the parachute harness clips – things that we know would have been on his person – and parts of the controls from within the cockpit.
“It’s powerful because he was controlling the aircraft in his last moments. There’s a real tragedy to it.
“We found a lot more than I was initially expecting to find. The volume of aircraft that was there was huge – thousands and thousands of pieces.”
Discoveries from the dig included the engine’s cylinder heads, valves, pistons and fuel system pipes
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COTSWOLD ARCHAEOLOGY
Mr Wilson added: “You get an intense human connection that you don’t really get in other forms of archaeology.
“We have photographs of Lowry and we know a bit about his history and his service record. That just brings the person to life.”
The DPAA carries out investigations and recovery missions worldwide, working alongside partner governments to uncover remains and return them to their families.
It is thought around 72,000 service members are still unaccounted for from the Second World War.