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Old 12-08-2018, 10:31 PM
DHoward DHoward is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hollydog View Post
I also had e-mail contact with the son of the surviving crew member, I'm sure he won't mind me posting part of the e-mail conversation I had with him, very interesting, tragic , a different world to now that should never be forgotten.

Quote "Only at the end of last year I spoke to the pilot who was next to land behind dads plane and saw the crash. He stated that the weather was fine and not as previous thought weather conditions although they were diverted from Mepal in Cambridgeshire. It appears the crash was due to the plane being shot up with damage to the fuselage.

As you know the crew all died alongside the children and were very close in fact the night before they were out in Cambridge.
My father received burns to side of the face and the ear had to be reconstructed, but was back flying again. You will recall he was awarded the DFM as a result of the crash. During his rehabilitation all the crews family either visited or wrote to him.
He never talked about the crash - both his parents were killed in the blitz as well as two brothers killed at Arnhem. He was a a very unassuming man - high achiever at school - goalkeeper for guildford city and on the books at Arsenal.
Dad continued flying in 1944 again crashing.
He had met my mother prior to the crash who was an RAF intelligence officer. Dad was later commissioned and stayed in the RAF until he retired. I recall back in the fifties while instructing he lent a parachute to his best friend so he could get a flight home for the weekend in Scotland while Dad was out shopping there was a knock at the door with two RAF officers telling my mother he had died in an air crash in North East! of couse it was not dad the shute had his name on it !
Anyway after he retired they moved to Devon unfortunately he died at 66 resulting from injuries from the crash ( loss of kidney) On his final night in the cottage hospital the staff recalled that he relived that night talking with crew and then crashing shouting to George we are going to hit the building later he begged forgiveness for he children loosing their lives.
This is fascinating to read, what a life he lived beyond the crash, very lucky man indeed.
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1940s, amble, tragedy, ww2

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