AS the North-East commemorates the 60th anniversary of VE Day, the final seal will be put on a statue in memory of a once-forgotten Second World War hero.

An 8ft sculpture of Andrew Mynarski, a Canadian air gunner who died trying to save the life of a friend on a blazing Lancaster bomber, will be cast in bronze today.

The Northern Echo launched its Forgotten Hero campaign to raise the £40,000 needed for the memorial, which will be at Durham Tees Valley Airport -the former Royal Canadian Air Force base, at Middleton St George, near Darlington, which Pilot Officer Mynarski and his crew flew from.

The appeal exceeded its target in March, with a final total of £76,000. That included donations from readers here and in North America, and a £50,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Sculptor Keith Maddison, from Northumberland, said it was fitting that the bronze was being poured into the moulds for the statue today, at a foundry in Scotland.

He said: "It is quite a spectacular process, and it does tie in nicely with VE Day."

His creation will be unveiled by Colleen Bacon, the daughter of Pat Brophy, the man VC-winner Mynarski died trying to save, at a ceremony at the airport on Saturday, June 4.

The event, at 11am, will include a fly-past from a Lancaster Bomber, and will be attended by war veterans from both sides of the Atlantic, including representatives from seven branches of the Royal British Legion.

Officers from Mynarski's 419 Tactical Fighter Training Squadron will also make the journey from Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada.

They will bring the axe used by the 27-year-old as he tried to free Brophy from the Lancaster's glass-domed rear turret, after the plane was hit by Germans.

The statue will be placed inside the airport.

Carol Bellinger, of The Northern Echo, who has organised the unveiling, said: "It is the perfect place. It will be seen by everybody, and everybody will be able to read the story of Mynarski's bravery."