After RAF flier Gerald Keston Pelmore died in the remains of his Wellington bomber on German farmland in 1941 he was not forgotten. Before his death, aged 30, Pelmore had founded the Bentley Drivers Club.

And yesterday (July 6, 2013) German drivers who share his fondness for the marque drove from the crash site to Pelmore’s burial place in a tribute to the man sent to bomb Dusseldorf.

Also taking part was his niece Bronwen Hickmott, of Exeter, Devon, who said: "This seems to bring everything full circle. Gerald hated bombing his beloved Germany."

His family came to England from Germany and as a child his surname was changed from Pfleiderer to sidestep the anti-German sentiment of the First World War. He joined the family firm of food machinery makers but was distracted by photography and a passion for Bentley cars.

In 1935 Pelmore bought the 4½ litre open four-seater which he took on tours of France, Switzerland and Germany. When he realised there was no car club for owners, he formed one, posting cards on Bentleys parked at Brooklands race track in Surrey inviting owners to a meeting in 1936.

Yesterday’s event (i.e. July 6, 2013), which included some British drivers, began at the field where Pelmore died and ended at Rheinberg, some 45 miles away, where he is buried among more than 3,150 Allied servicemen. He flew more than a dozen sorties for 101 Squadron from RAF Oakington, Cambs, before being shot down.