It's a pretty well known local piece of WW2 Lancashire history, like the 1944 Freckleton air disaster
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freckleton_air_disaster both incidents probably not so well known outside the county, Like the Lancashire Cotton Famine of 1860 to 65, that devastated local communities, they rarely get much of a mention in the history books. From good stock those Lancashire folk.