The family of a Canadian pilot who crashed a WWII plane off the coast of Tywyn are returning to the crash site - 82 years after the incident.

Locals say that when the sea is calm, a WWII plane engine is still visible off the coast of Cae Du, Rhoslefain.

The Brobyn family are making the long trip across the Atlantic this June to visit the site where their grandfather, George Brobyn, escaped death not once but twice in the space of a week in 1943.

Tasha Brobyn, George’s granddaughter, said 19 of them will be making the once in a lifetime trip to scatter their grandparents' ashes, see where they met, and visit the farm, Brynglas, where their grandmother Eirys Brobyn (née Evans) grew up.

“My grandfather didn’t talk much about the war as he lost many friends during the war, and it was very upsetting.

“My grandmother had always wanted me to visit the farm and Wales.

“ My sister and I always wanted to fulfil her wishes as we were both so close to her.

“Seeing the places our family began means a lot to me, and I want my children to see it too.”

Flight Lieutenant George Brobyn from Toronto was stationed at the RAF Camp Tonfanau in Tywyn - where anti-aircraft gunners were trained to target planes - as part of the Royal Canadian Air Force, when he had two unlucky incidents that could have ended his life.

He escaped death not once but twice during one week in 1943 when he crashed due to malfunctions with two different planes.

According to military records, George was flying a Hawker Henley III in early February 1943 when his brakes failed whilst trying to land, due to surface water on Tywyn airfield.

Reports describe him crashing into a building and other planes before the aircraft was “destroyed by fire”.

One report describes George as “probably unhurt, as he was involved in another mishap two days later with the same unit”.

The second incident was with a Hawker Henley I, which “had risen only 300 feet into the air when the engine cut out”.

The report continues: “[George] forced landed into the sea off Tonfanau Camp but was saved from the aircraft” before the army was instructed to blow up the plane.

The report describes remnants of the plane visible from Cae Du “when the sea is calm”.

Locals recall that the propeller and engine were once visible from land, with some stating divers removed the propeller in the 80s, whilst others recall last seeing the engine in the 90s.

But the owners of Cae Du Campsite say it's still there on the beach at low tide.

Eirys met George at a dance at just 19, married in Bryncrug a year after the crashes and honeymooned in London “during the raids”.

She became one of the first war brides to return to Canada following the war.

Settling in Toronto, George became a firefighter whilst Eirys raised their three sons and supported their five grandchildren.