大象传媒

Message 1 - Doodlebugs

Posted on: 09 November 2003 by Littledusty

I, too, had strange experience with a doodlebug in the same year in Chislehurst, Kent. I was a messenger in the Civil Defence and as it was Saturday I rather fancied catching a 161 bus to Eltham and catch a film that was being screened in the Regal Cinema. Approaching the High Street I saw two buses go by and cursed my bad luck. Ambling on, I reached the High Street when I heard what I thought was another bus coming. Looking up the High Street I could see no Red bus but then spotted a doodlebug gliding about three feet above the siren on top of the police station. What I was hearing was the hot gases escaping from the exhaust long after the engine had cut out.
I threw myself behind the splendid protection of a very thin paling fence! There's a lot more to this story which I'll cover in my own space at a later date.

Message 1 - V1's

Posted on: 15 November 2003 by Eddie Gardner

I had a similar experience - while waiting at a bus stop on the A3 at Shannon Corner New Malden with about 6 other people we heard a V1 approaching.
The bus stop faced London so I was surprised to see the plane suddenly appear from the London direction.
No sooner had I spotted the place than the engine cut out.

We all stood rooted to the ground with terror, this bomb could explode any second - a young lady suddenly tore across the road but why I do not know, perhaps trying to avoid the bomb.

All this took place in a matter of seconds and when the plane reached the factory where I worked, about 200 metres on the opposite side of the road - it veered to the right and missed the central tower of the building by just a few metres.

I waited for the explosion which seemed ages but was probably only about 10 seconds and it went off about 1/2 a mile away.

Somewhere I read that the time between the engine cut out and the explosion was about 15 seconds.

On Derby Day in 1944 a flying bomb exploded not far from my home killing 12 people and doing a great deal of damage. I was asleep at the time for I was working at night but I jolly soon got washed and dressed.

When the V1's first started coming over I was working at night and heard that a plane had been brought down in our area and later that 3 planes had been brought down and then 5 and so on during the night - it seemed too good to be true but it was true for they were pilotless planes.