- Contributed byÌý
- epsomandewelllhc
- People in story:Ìý
- Eileen Canter, Alan Swan
- Location of story:Ìý
- Ewell, Surrey
- Background to story:Ìý
- Civilian
- Article ID:Ìý
- A4130849
- Contributed on:Ìý
- 30 May 2005
Plane crash in Ruxley Lane, Ewell
The author of this story has understood the rules and regulations of the site and has agreed that this story can be entered on the People's War web site.
1 February 1945 at 14 Ruxley Lane — the house where an unpiloted plane crashed and demolished and killed the Anne Swan, the owner. The pilot and passenger had baled out.
I had been shopping that morning and had been due to visit Anne for coffee, but went home instead. A little while later a friend called at my house with the bad news that a plane had crashed onto Anne’s house. The pilot and passenger had baled out. She had thought that I was with Anne and was one of the two women who had been killed as he knew that I was to have coffee with Anne. He was very relieved to see that I was alive. The other lady who was killed had been lunching with Anne.
After the recent (2005) report in the local paper about this incident during the war, I renewed contact with Alan Swan who she had looked after when his mother was killed,
I remember my indignation when people said the war was over on May 8 1945, as my husband was still fighting in Burma. Eventually he returned home in 1947 and remained on active duty in the army.
I stayed with relatives in Bath because of the buzz bombs and whilst there received a telegram from my father telling me that my bungalow had been hit. He then wrote to me to advise me that she must get a claim in within 60 days. I returned to Ewell, leaving my small daughter in Bath, to see the damage to my bungalow and then returned to Bath the same evening. The whole of the back of her bungalow was missing but we were able to return home when the bungalow was covered with plastic to protect i
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