A PLAYING field next to the site of a Second World War plane crash has been renamed in its honour.

The land off Beveland Road, Canvey, will now be known as the B17 Memorial Ground, in memory of eleven airmen killed when two B17 bombers collided and crashed in the Thames, off Canvey Point.

Chas Mumford, a Conservative councillor for Canvey East, has long campaigned for the site to be renamed, and is delighted to see the work completed.

Plans for the memorial ground were approved at a Castle Point Council meeting last month.

Mr Mumford said: “It’s a fitting tribute for a focal point of the island.

“The history behind the crash was something I was aware of before I became a councillor, and residents have long been in favour of schemes to honour the victims of the crash. I made it a pledge of mine in May to get this done, and it’s very important we put things like this in place.

“People can picnic or play sports there knowing what the airmen went through to protect the country during the war.”

The renaming of the playing field is the latest in a string of initiatives on the island related to the crash.

In August, an arts group completed a commemorative mural bearing the names and faces of the ten crew members who died in the collision.

Canvey Community Archive, a local history group, launched a fundraising campaign this month to pay for commemorative benches to be installed either side of Canvey Point, where there is already an information board about the crash.

Tom Skipp, councillor responsible for environment and leisure, believes it is important to bring Canvey’s past into the present.

He said: “This is obviously really important part of the island’s history, so it was unanimously agreed at the council.

“It’s vital that youngsters who are not old enough to remember or know of the crash learn about the bravery of those men who lost their lives.”