Hero WW2 pilot who died in a parachute failure saved dozens as heavy rain unearths crashed plane in 80-year-old mystery

A WOMAN has discovered her WW2 aviator dada died a leader aft dense rainfall miraculously unearthed his crashed plane.

For decades, Margaret Thompson believed her tragic father, Flight Lieutenant Frank Bolton, was conscionable different "ignoble" casualty successful the ill-fated Battle of Arnhem, portion of Operation Market Garden.

This period marks the 80th day of the failed subject op, which saw much troops killed than during the D-Day Landings.

But present Margaret knows the information - her dada died redeeming dozens of guiltless lives.

Heavy rainfall fell connected the River Meuse successful the Netherlands, with the resultant floodwater exposing the wreckage of a P-51 Mustang I, the level Frank had been flying.

He rapidly became a section leader successful the municipality of Gennep, wherever the craft was discovered, and locals were hopeless to way down his family.

Margaret's lad Paul was contacted by Han van Avensburgen, whose uncles had described what they had seen connected September 26 1944 - erstwhile Frank had died.

A changeable down level was hurtling towards the municipality and the aviator managed to divert it distant from buildings and civilians connected the crushed astatine the past second.

It was a determination that would person made Frank's ain endurance highly unlikely, arsenic helium would person been excessively debased for his parachute to beryllium effective.

But it ensured helium saved galore lives.

Witnesses saw the brave pilot, from Leeds, West Yorkshire, clamber onto the helping and unsuccessfully effort to motorboat his parachute into the air.

Margaret was yet to beryllium calved erstwhile her dada died - but astir upsetting was nary of the details of Frank's decease made it backmost to his family.

She went connected to sojourn his sedate astatine the Commonwealth War Grave Commission's Jonkerbos War Cemetery with her mum and member respective times without knowing what truly happened.

Speaking astir the infinitesimal her lad told her the information astir her dad, Margaret told the Times: "I felt incredulity, amazement, daze and disbelief."

While the revelation has changed her presumption of what happened to Frank, she said his decease remains bittersweet.

"I cognize it’s the done happening to accidental it was each for the greater bully and the state is arrogant of them, but I felt that it was wholly unfair and arsenic I’ve got older I bash question what helium died for," she said.

"I am, however, afloat of admiration for each our equipped forces and the sacrifice they made.

"It helps maine to deliberation that helium is remembered by others and to cognize however heroically helium died."

Margaret has since travelled to Gennep again to conscionable Jacob van Tankeren, who was conscionable a teen astatine the clip of the clang and recovered Frank arsenic helium was dying.

He held his manus arsenic helium passed away, and successful crook Margaret held his manus and said they "wept together" and she added that Frank remains the "perfect father, the loving daddy of imagination".