A Sussex village is paying tribute this weekend to the crews of two wartime planes which crashed in countryside nearby.

People living in the tiny hamlet of Upwaltham, near Petworth, raised £10,500 for a memorial to honour the 15 men killed.

The first crash, on February 13, 1944, involved a Lancaster from the famous dambusting 617 Squadron which had been returning from a mission in France.

Among the eight dead were Flight Sergeant John Pulford and Squadron Leader Tommy Lloyd.

A year later, in February 1945, a US Air Force Dakota, on its way from France, came down on the hill opposite the Lancaster crash site, killing all seven on board.

Both crews are being remembered in a ceremony at St Mary the Virgin church in Upwaltham later today.

Representatives from the RAF, the United States of America Air Force, the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force are joining relatives of four of the crew for the event.

The family of farm workers honoured by King George VI for braving flames and exploding ammunition to try and rescue the crews will also be at the service.

A Lancaster bomber will be flying overhead after the ceremony.

The ceremony is the result of five years of work led by writer Dione (crct) Venables, 78, a church council member.