Glenn Miller and his music live on at Twinwood Festival after disappearing 80 years ago

LONDON -- Eighty years ago on Aug. 27th, 1944, the great American bandleader Glenn Miller performed at a base some 60 miles north of London, RAF Twinwood, the hub and airfield he frequently flew in and out of during World War II.

But just a few months later, he would disappear on a flight out of the base -- a mystery that still endures to this day.

While those questions may never be answered, in the English countryside at the very site of the former base, his legend is still remembered and his music lives on at the annual Twinwood Festival in Bedfordshire, some 40 miles north of London.

Simply just walking around the Twinwood grounds, its history still resonates -- the runway now a farm field and many of the military buildings persevering from the war days more than 80 years ago.

Robert Allen is the curator of the Twinwood Aviation Museum, based in the still standing control tower which houses a Glenn Miller collection. Miller, says Allen, originally arrived in England in June 1944 and, over the next few months, performed dozens and dozens of concerts for U.S. forces who were stationed at U.K. bases.

“[Miller] did the hour-long concert here as a thank you to the Commanding Officer of Twinwood because the bandleader was allowed to use the airfield to move around to the various bases to perform,” Allen said.

The date was Aug. 27, 1944, and Allen recounts that “Miller's work schedule was hectic. He really was doing his bit for the war effort.”

Glenn Miller kept playing outdoors at various U.K. bases through October until the cold weather set in. Then, a few months later, on Dec. 15, he boarded a small plane, a Norsemen, along with two others -- the pilot Flight Officer John Morgan and Colonel Norman Baesell.

Allen says their destination was Paris. “It was going to be a live radio broadcast, so all the troops were expecting to have this fantastic concert that was going to be beamed across Europe for them which was going to be a really big morale booster.”

Allen emphasizes that it is important to remember that Miller was truly a pop icon of the day, up there with many other big names in the music industry at the time.

“All these young lads that were out fighting, it brought a really big piece of home to them,” Allen said. “They're thousands of miles away from their families and their lives and this reminded them of home and that good times were going to come back.”

There have been many theories over the years as to what might have happened during the fateful flight over the English Channel. Allen believes the carburetor might have iced up or even ice formed on the wings.

“They did know there was a problem on all of the aircraft that were operating in Europe -- the icing up of carburetors,” Allen said. “They were fitting them onto the bomber aircraft, the B-17s, the Liberators, and also the Mustangs and P-38s, but Transport Command I think would have probably been a lower priority. So they hadn't actually got around to fitting it on this particular Norseman.”

It was nine days later, on Chirstmas Eve, when the huge and shocking story hit the wire services of United Press and the Associated Press where it was reported in somber tones by BBC Radio on the air.

“Major Glenn Miller, the well-known American bandleader is reported missing. He left England by air for Paris nine days ago,” it was reported. “Major Glenn Miller came over from the States earlier this year to direct the American band of the AEF, which has often been heard playing in the Allied Expeditionary Forces program of the BBC.”

Fast forward several decades later and now, for more than 20 years, a festival has been held at Twinwood where singer and emcee Lola Lamour has been holding court for most of those years.

Lamour says that Miller’s link to the sound of the period is completely inseparable.

“I know the war time was a terrible time, but you've got certain periods that just sum up the feelings, the camaraderie, everybody pulling together and you've got the romance of it because people were making the most of what time they had together and the war time dances,” Lamour told ABC News. “You can picture the couples all dressed up in their best clothes and, you know, the boys all dressed up in their uniforms.”

As to the vibe over the years, Lamour tells ABC News that things haven’t changed that much.

“You've got the control tower, you've got the main arena, all the little Nissen huts,” Lamour continued. “I love performing in those because of the ambiance is great, the little club atmosphere and you've got the big dance marques.”

Quite possibly the biggest highlight of the four-day festival is when the U.K. Glenn Miller Orchestra, led by Ray McVay, plays for the crowds.

Alto sax player Andy Potts has been with the band for over 25 years, mastering all the hits with songs like “In The Mood,” “String of Pearls,” “Pennsylvania 6-5000” and “Chattanooga Choo Choo.”

“It's really interesting, the demographics of the people that come here. I've been playing for 26 years with the band and when I first came here, there were people who knew Tex Beneke and all sorts of members of the original Glenn Miller Orchestra. Then it became the children of them, and now it's grandchildren. And yes, it certainly does harken back to a simpler time,” he tells ABC News.

For many of those on the special and revered grounds, the event is locked into their calendar annually and they are already planning on being back in 2025 to remember, to breath in the nostalgia and enjoy the music of the bygone era at an event that hopes to endure for years to come.