- Contributed byÌý
- csvdevon
- People in story:Ìý
- Joyce Williams; Beatrice May Williams (nee Olds)
- Location of story:Ìý
- Plymouth, Devon; Camborne, Cornwall
- Background to story:Ìý
- Civilian
- Article ID:Ìý
- A6338405
- Contributed on:Ìý
- 24 October 2005
This story has been written to the ´óÏó´«Ã½ People's War site by CSV Storygatherer Coralie, on behalf of Jorama. The story has been added to the site with her permission and she fully understands the terms and conditions of the site.
N.B. (key = quay)
It was August, and Mum and I went to Camborne in Cornwall, staying with Auntie Jamie — Mother’s sister. We visited our various relations and went to Portreath, a lovely little sea-side resort. It is about 4 miles from Pengegon to Portreath; we always walked there and back, sometimes going via the road past Gerry, where we stopped to see if Auntie Beaty was joining us. Yes, she came out with her basket filled with pasties and buns, and another one for us all to fill on the way with luscious blackberries for pies and jam to be shared. Auntie Beaty would do the cooking. When we arrived on the beach, we found soldiers on the cliffs and some work being done down towards the key. We stayed on the other side of the beach.
On the following week, when we were on the other side of the beach, we went to the jetty side and as the tide came in, there was a huge noise from the sky and a number of British planes went past. They couldn’t have been training very long as they kept on getting ‘out of place’. There was an awful noise and a plane jerked over to the ‘big field’ and crashed. All the people on the beach went rushing up to the ‘big field’ to find out what was going on and if there had been any casualties; others wanted to see if they could help.
A few days later, when I was on the beach again, a plane came across and above my head — I could see the pilot laughing at me as the force of the wind splashed the tidal water all over me, and I fell with my face in the sand. Spluttering, I waved my fist at him and he waved his hand and flew off. Later in the day, we went up the hill to go home. Who should I see but the airman! He came over and asked if I was alright and told my Mum all about what had happened to me on the beach. She didn’t think it was funny and told me off for laughing!
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