THE story of a Second World War Canadian airman, who earned Britain's highest military honour while based in the North-East, is to be televised in his home country.

The Historica Foundation of Canada, an organisation which promotes Canadian history and heritage to people across the country, is to make a mini-movie about Pilot Officer Andrew Mynarski, who was based at RAF Middleton St George, near Darlington.

Plt Off Mynarski has also become the subject of a campaign by The Northern Echo to have a statue erected in his honour at the airport, which is now Durham Tees Valley International Airport.

He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross after he tried to save the life of a comrade while on a bombing mission over France in 1944.

The Historica foundation is to feature Plt Off Mynarski in one of its Historica Minutes - 60-second mini-movies that depict exciting and important stories from Canada's past.

His story will be told in one of six Military Minutes, which are being made to coincide with the opening of the Canadian War Museum on May 8, next year.

Morwenna White, the Community Outreach Co-ordinator for the Historica Foundation, said: "Andrew Mynarski's story is very well known over here, so, when we decided to do six new Minutes with military backgrounds for the opening of the museum, he was a popular choice.

"The Minutes started being made about ten years ago and have become incredibly popular.

"They are like little documentaries and are shown on TV between programmes and in cinemas, with versions in English and in French."

So far, 66 of the programmes have been broadcast across Canada.

They are also used as teaching aids in classrooms across the country.

Some of the Minutes have become so well known in Canada that they have been parodied and imitated by many of the country's comedians.

Mynarski was awarded the medal after the Lancaster bomber he was in was shot and caught fire.

With the plane heading towards the ground, he turned away from the escape hatch and made his way up the plane to try to rescue his friend Pat Brophy, who was trapped.

Although his clothing and parachute were on fire, he desperately tried to free Brophy, but he was unable to and had to bale out at low level.

Miraculously, Brophy survived the crash but,while Mynarski was found alive by a French farmer, he died of his wounds a few hours later.

The Northern Echo's Forgotten Hero Appeal is campaigning to raise £40,000 for an 8ft bronze statue to be erected at Durham Tees Valley Airport.