A desperate appeal has been launched after heartless thieves stole flags and pictures from a memorial to a World War II bomber crew who sacrificed their lives in a crash to save children playing in a park.
Tributes have been snatched from the Mi Amigo memorial site in Sheffield, South Yorkshire.
Tony Foulds, who looks after the memorial, told BBC Breakfast that the shameful theft took place on Monday night.
The 83-year-old (pictured) has dedicated decades of his life to taking care of the memorial only for someone to snatch the tributes
Tony Foulds (pictured at the memorial) has been left devastated by the callous theft in Sheffield, South Yorkshire
Pictured: The flypast arranged for Tony Foulds in February last year to honour the heroic bomber crew
The 83-year-old, who was one of the children saved by the bomber crew’s bravery, begged for the return of the items after reports that one picture was found dumped in a bin.
He was eight years old in February 1944 when he witnessed the fireball crash – claiming the lives of ten US airmen – as the pilot tried to avoid him and his friends.
He has dedicated seven decades of his life to the memory of the airmen he never met, spending up to six days a week tending the memorial to them.
In February last year, he moved the nation when he broke down in tears today as thousands joined him for a flypast in memory of the Second World War heroes.
The salute – including F-15E Strike Eagles from the USAF and an RAF Typhoon – was arranged after BBC Breakfast presenter Dan Walker met Mr Foulds during a walk in the park six weeks ago and started a social media campaign.
Walker used the hashtag #GetTonyAFlyPast, which also caught the attention of the Americans – and soon after Mr Foulds was told on live TV that his dream would come true – changing the hashtag to #TonyGotHisFlyPast.
Mr Foulds said he and the other children were in the park 75 years ago because boys from two rival junior schools were fighting.
An emotional Tony Foulds wipes away tears from his eyes as the military flypast comes over Endcliffe Park in Sheffield last year
He said the Mi Amigo approached low from the Nether Edge area of the city in an obviously bad way, with only one engine, and the crew would have seen the large expanse of grass as a possible landing place.
But when the pilot, Lieutenant John Kriegshauser, saw the children, he decided to circle.
Mr Foulds said that when the bomber came round again, the pilot was waving his arms as a warning but, as they did know what he meant, they just waved back.
He said the bomber crashed after it came round for a third time, just missing the roofs of nearby houses.
The wreckage of the Mi Amigo at Endcliffe Park in Sheffield on February 22, 1944 following the fatal crash
The ten airmen who died, from back row: Robert Mayfield, Vito Ambrosio, Harry Estabrooks, George Williams, Charles Tuttle, Maurice Robbins Front Row: John Kriegshauser, Lyle Curtis, Melchor Hernandez, John Humphrey
Mr Fouls has spent decades tending to the memorial dedicated to ten American airmen who died in a crash 76 years ago
Tony Foulds, 82, is pictured on Wednesday ahead of the Mi Amigo memorial flypast over Endcliffe Park in Sheffield today
The memorial is dedicated to 10 American airmen who died when their plane crashed in front of Mr Foulds in February 1944
Mr Foulds said: ‘Because we were still there, he had to make a decision – ‘Shall I land on there and hope I don’t hit these kids or try and get over the trees with this one engine?’.
‘Of course, he tried to get over the trees. The engine failed and it dropped straight into the ground.’
Asked why he devotes his life to the men’s memory, Mr Foulds said: ‘Because they saved my life. I wouldn’t have been here if it hadn’t been for them.’ He said: ‘They’re my family.’