The school hit by a wartime bomber that was on its way home

It was the early hours of a July morning in 1941 and a Hampden bomber was returning to RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire after an operation off the north coast of the Netherlands. It never made it home.

The aircraft, which was registered as AD943 and was part of 44 Squadron, is believed to have suffered a mechanical failure just five miles (8km) from the airbase.

It crashed into the staff accommodation block of Lincoln Christ's Hospital Girls' High School, which stood on the 12th Century Greestone Stairs.

The incident killed all four crew members along with 49-year-old French teacher Edith Fowle, who was on the second floor of the building when the aircraft struck.

Standing on the historic steps that lead to Lincoln Cathedral, David Harrigan, from Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire, recounts the devastating events of that morning to BBC Radio Lincolnshire.

He says the cause of the crash remains unknown.

"This was wartime," he adds. "We were losing so many aircraft, either to mechanical failures or to action with the enemy, that we just did not have the time to be investigating them all."

Although no visible evidence of the incident remains, David says it caused a dramatic scene.

"The fuel tanks exploded, forcing the fire brigade back, unable to fight the fire. We've [also] heard that a lot of ammunition had exploded that had been stored in the aircraft."

He says there were also accounts of bullets being fired at homes and windows on the nearby Monks Road.

Speaking about Edith Fowle, David says she was loved by her pupils.

"She was a thorough professional who demanded everything from her students, but in return gave them what appears to be a lot of love and understanding as well. So she was well-liked."

The airmen, Sgt William Relyea, Sgt Donald Bruce, Sgt James Connelly and Sgt Peter Lynch, are remembered on plaques at the International Bomber Command Centre in Lincoln and at the school, which is now known as the Lincoln University Technical College. The latter also includes Edith's name.

David says he would like to see another sign on the stairs to remember the casualties.

"Many tourists come up these steps every year, and even locals, not knowing that what they're passing is a bit of a historical sight," he said.

"It would be nice to remember both Edith Fowle and the crew."

Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North.

Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices