A bit of local history

I've passed this little monument many times but never stopped to see what it is. In front is a glass covered hole in the ground which has so much condensation on it's underside that it's impossible to see what is down there.
Turns out that below the glass are assorted bits of crashed B17 bomber and the monument is to the 23 year old pilot who kept his plane in the air long enough for his crew to jump out and all survive, which sadly the pilot did not.
All this happened 70 years and two weeks ago, just up the road from where I live, on the road to the kennels where I collected the dogs today.