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Sergeant Ivan Raymond Trafford was just 20-years-old when the spitfire he was flying crashed on Caerphilly Mountain during World War II.

The Canadian airman, from Connell in New Brunswick, crashed in bad weather while on a training exercise on November 7, 1941.

Sgt Trafford, who was born 100 years ago on April 11, 1921, did not survive the crash.

He had joined the Royal Canadian Air Force just a year earlier and was based at the RAF air base in Llandow – where he took off from on his fateful last flight.

The sergeant’s Spitfire was found in Coedcae Field on the mountain, but official news of the crash was suppressed due to wartime censorship.

He is buried at a cemetery in Llantwit Major, near RAF Llandow, while his name is eternalised upon the war cemetery in his home town.

In 2015, 74 years after Sgt Trafford’s death, a memorial was unveiled on Coedcae Field in his memory.

The memorial came about thanks to then-head of history at St Martin’s School, Matthew Ferris, and his friend – the late Harry Lewis.

Mr Lewis took the school teacher to Glamorgan Archives and uncovered the papers that revealed information about the crash and Mr Trafford’s identity.

Sadly, Mr Lewis passed away before his dream of a memorial became reality.

The memorial came together with the help of St Martin’s pupils and ex-pupils, who landscaped the area, on the ninth fairway of Caerphilly Golf Club, and helped lay some of the brickwork.

A replica Spitfire propeller was donated by GE Aviation and the stonework was carried out with the help of Alan Griffiths Associates.

Many of the students attended a memorial service at the site in November 2015, which was conducted by Father Gareth Coombes, the chaplain of Caerphilly Royal British Legion.

Speaking at the time of the memorial’s unveiling, Mr Ferris said: “Harry Lewis came to me in 2010 and said we need to find the guy who crashed on the mountain.

“Harry lived Caerphilly. He was Mr Caerphilly and one of the interests we shared was commemorating the war dead of Caerphilly.

“Five years on I feel like it’s a bit of a relief, it’s taken its time. I’m proud of the generosity of local people and the people of South Wales, because I’ve done this without paying a penny and that makes me proud that people have responded.

“Where the memorial is built is on the flight path and I envisaged him flying across the mountain. It was adverse weather conditions much like today so this couldn’t be more relevant really.”