A PERMANENT memorial to Portishead war hero Tommy Broom is to be installed in the town.
A memorial stone is to placed at the green at Roath Road to pay tribute to Squadron Leader Thomas John Broom who died in May 2010 aged 96.
An area of grassland is now all that remains of the rank of cottages, which were demolished in the 1950s, where Tommy was born.
Tommy survived more than 80 missions through the hostile skies of Europe and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross three times.
Tommy, together with his namesake and great friend, Air Vice Marshall Sir Ivor Broom, led some of the most daring raids of World War II.
The duo was famously known as The Flying Brooms and their pathfinder Mosquito bomber was adorned with a crossed broomsticks logo for good luck.
They shared 58 operational flights, 22 of which were above the heavily-defended Berlin and their feats were widely admired throughout the RAF.
They served together on 571, 128 and 163 squadrons.
The memorial stone has been funded by Portishead Town Council, Portishead Royal British Legion and members of Tommy's family.
It will feature a bronze plaque inscribed with all his achievements for his country during the war.
It is hoped that the memorial stone will be installed during the next few weeks.
Portishead in Bloom has already planted a number of silver birch trees on the green at the junction of Slade Road and Roath Road.
A limited edition print of two Mosquito bombers returning from a raid in Berlin entitled Home Run also hangs in the town council's headquarters at the Folk Hall.
The picture, which is signed by both Tommy and Sir Ivor, was unveiled at a special ceremony by Tommy and Sir Ivor's widow Jesse in 2001.
The print, which is a copy of an original by artist Gerald Coulson, was presented to the town council by the Portishead branch of the Royal British Legion to celebrate its 80th anniversary and commemorate the servicemen and women who had served their country.
Tommy, who was born in Portishead in January 1914, joined the RAF aged 18 in 1932 after leaving school at 14 and working in a garage.
His wartime heroics remained a well guarded secret until his friend Tom Parry Evans persuaded him to reveal his extraordinary deeds to a wider audience.
Tom, a former school teacher who used to commute from Portishead to Avonmouth on the same bus as Tommy, eventually convinced him they should write a book.
The pair met twice a week and eventually Squadron Leader, Tommy Broom DFC** – The Legendary Mosquito Navigator – was published.
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