THE helmet worn by a pilot whose plane crashed down in France during the Second World War has been handed to his crewmate’s son - by a 92-year-old who found it as a teenager.

David Blackett’s father Harry survived the harrowing ordeal on May 10, 1944, when he and his fellow 138 Squadron colleagues were forced to ditch their bomber plane mid-flight over France.

The rear gunner, of Bishop Auckland, and bombardier Eddie Jones together sought refuge with the French Resistance - as did pilot and captain Stanley Coldridge, navigator Harry Medland and Flight Officer Richard Evans.

Just after the crash in the Groslaud area, near Chabanais, in south-west France, local 14-year-old Abel Devautour and his friend investigated the aircraft and found a helmet in the cockpit.

Mr Devautour kept the token but last month decided to send it to David in honour of his father.

David, of Newton Aycliffe, said: “I was touched by Abel sending me the helmet as he has had it since he was 14 he is now 92. Particularly as he had involved his grandchildren, aged five and 12, in the decision making process and they all unanimously agreed it should be returned to me. I didn’t even know of its existence till a few months ago. It was a very moving moment.”

The 71-year-old had been trying to get to the bottom of the story of the crash for almost half a century and this year was able to put the final pieces of jigsaw together with the help of Suffolk-based historian Alan Latter.

The pair, along with David’s son Stuart, made the pilgrimage to retrace Harry’s footsteps in France in October where they attended a commemoration ceremony with local dignitaries.

Mr Devautour was not in the area during the visit but in a letter to David said: “We can appreciate your emotions when you held the helmet in your hands. We have always had a great deal of admiration for those young people who risked their lives everyday in order to win the war and liberate us.”

David’s father, Sergeant Blackett’s squadron was one of five aircraft to set off from RAF Tempsford, the Special Operations Executive, on Operation Percy 3 which required them to drop supplies to the French Resistance. Four aircraft returned successfully but the squadron was shot at.

The majority of the crew were taken in by the Maquis - the guerilla band of the French Resistance - but the fate of two crewmates was not so fortunate. Mid upper gunner Robert Clark, of West Auckland, injured his leg on landing and had to surrender to the local Gendarmerie and spent the remainder of the war as a prisoner of war while Flight Officer Donald Lennie joined the Resistance but was captured and tortured by the Gestapo.