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German Spy?

The public were told to be alert with regard to German spies. One night I thought I had met one. I had to be home by 9 o’clock every night. This particular evening, it was in the winter and light drizzle was falling, me and my mates were hanging around Netheravon and split up to go home just before 9 o’clock. As I walked onto the pavement just past Haxton Farm a man wearing a raincoat and trilby hat shuffled towards me, stopped and spoke as I past him. I didn’t understand him and said ‘Pardon’. He repeated himself. It sounded to me like a foreign language. I just took off, feet hardly touching the ground. I couldn’t get indoors quick enough and I was very frightened. Was it a spy or someone having me on? No one owned up to it so was he a spy or not?

German Bomber crashes

A German bomber was shot down early one morning by a Spitfire during I think 1943 and crashed on Larkhill ranges in Well Bottom. That evening as soon after school as we could a gang of us went onto the range to find the wreckage and hopefully some souvenirs. All the crew had been killed. It was carrying bombs and had released two which had exploded. One crater can still be found in the valley between Well Bottom and Lavington Folly. Another had exploded on impact blowing the aircraft to pieces. A fourth bomb was lying amongst the wreckage unexploded. I remember turning a piece of the plane over and finding the other side covered with blood and broken biscuits. The sound of voices made us think about leaving. It was American troops coming across from The Bustard camp on the same mission as ourselves. We collected some Verey Light cartridges and retreated to Fyfield tank crossing where we let them off by pushing them into holes in railway sleepers and hitting the caps with a lump of iron and a nail. The bridge was made of wood then and was being repaired by Airborne Engineers from Bulford using sleepers. My friend, Mike Hughes, also had a cannon shell which he let off after much deliberation causing a very loud explosion after which we beat a hasty retreat.

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