DECADES ago, as the Second World War approached its bloody conclusion in the Far East, the calm of a Purbeck hillside was shattered by what became the county's worst ever air disaster.

Seconds after an RAF Liberator transport plane emerged from low cloud, on June 15, 1945, it plunged into the ground, killing all 27 on board.

On Thursday, 62 years after the accident, friends and relatives of the doomed servicemen - who were mostly Canadian RAF ground crew en-route to India - paused at the hill above Encombe, close to Orchard Mill Farm, to reflect.

The tragedy was compounded by the fact the war in Europe had finished, and the men were just one month away from surviving history's bloodiest global conflict.

On the same spot where the men died, their descendants took part in a poignant service and witnessed the unveiling of a Purbeck stone memorial bench.

Tragically the same spot lays claim to the county's second worst air disaster, which cost the lives of three airmen in 1939 when their Mk 1 Swordfish clipped treetops and nose-dived on a training flight.

The service and seat were in memory of the victims of both crashes.

Relatives, including Canadian Tonia Kelly, travelled thousands of miles to be at the service.

The 64-year-old, whose father, Flight Lieutenant Saxton Cole piloted the Liberator, said: "He died days before my second birthday.

"To me this is the place where his soul left this earth and it is an absolutely wonderful feeling to be back here and feel his presence after 62 years."

The service was the climax of years of work by the Wool branch of the AirCrew Association.

Project leader and former RAF squadron leader Colin Pomery said: "The service was very poignant.

"The seat will serve a two-fold purpose.

"It will remind us of those who gave their lives in the service of the country and will also provide somewhere for those walking the Dorset coastal footpath as it passes by to pause a while and enjoy the beautiful scenery and perhaps reflect on why the seat is here."

The service included a reading by ex-warrant officer Geoff Dredge, who served alongside many of the Liberator victims during his time in the same squadron.

Wreaths were laid by RAF Lynam's Wing Commander Don Stamp, by representatives of the Canadian High Commission, and by the Wool AirCrew Association.

A roll of honour was read out before the last post signified two minutes' silence.

The service finished with an RAF Hercules flypast, the plane that replaced the Liberator as the workhorse of the RAF.