大象传媒

This story has been added to the 大象传媒 People's War site by CS Volunteer Kate Langdon on behalf of the author George Selby Smith, who understands the terms and conditions.

My parents built Treyarnon Bay Hotel in 1934. The family home was in a house called Trewalder, on the corner of the entrance to the big car park.

It was in 1941 that the RAF Aerodrome at St Eval was so badly attacked from the air by German bombers that the C.O. decided to disperse all RAF aircrew to any large establishment within an 8 mile radius. The hotel fell nicely into this role and was duly commandeered by the Air Ministry for aircrew dispersal.

It was in May 1941 when I was on leave from my Naval training ship HMS CONWAY that I was approached by our good neighbour, Mrs Arthur Watts, widow of the famous artist and illustrator for Punch Magazine.

In those days radar protection could not be afforded for such out of the way RAF Stations as St Eval. Due to the incessant bombing of St Eval the authorities decided that a daytime Observer Corps be set up nearby to keep in touch with the control tower. Mrs Watts soon gathered a team of keen observers. The observation post that was chosen on Trevose Head was in a house recently built by an Austrian refugee, a Mr Stein, overlooking Mother Ivy's Bay. It had always fascinated us children as it was a very 'art deco' type of house with a huge flat roof and a veranda on every floor. It faced due south and at 8 miles St Eval aerodrome was visible. As always the Church tower was prominent.

Mrs Watts, in her search for observers, decided that teenage schoolboys were the best at 'aircraft recognition'. Consequently my brother and I plus numerous others were roped in as Observers to do duty during the days on Mr Stein's verandas and flat roof. There was also his direct telephone line to St Eval Operations Centre. I spent many happy hours and days at this house looking for German planes and telephoning the RAF with my 'obs'. Never once in many weeks did I spot anything remotely like a German plane!

One day in late May towards the end of my leave, I had an early lunch relief and set out for Trewalder in Treyarnon Bay. I walked across Mr Tueman's fields among his cattle. Suddenly I heard a very low flying plane right behind me. I looked up at it desperately trying to see what type it was. It seemed huge and painted a silver-grey and on its port side fuselage was a large black iron cross. Not much more than 100 feet up it was flying due west out over Dinas Head towards the Quies Rocks.

For no apparent reason this plane started machine-gunning with the bullets tearing up the grass about 200 yards ahead of me towards the huge blow hole. The cattle were greatly alarmed at this intrusion; so too was I, I was absolutely terrified and ran off towards Booby's Bay. As I was fleeing downhill I heard two very loud bangs or crumps. The German plane, which I guessed was a Dornier, was over the Quies Rocks and it seemed it was trying to bomb them, possibly mistaking them for merchant ships. Two huge columns of white spray were shooting upwards. Probably midway between the Bull Rock and the Quies. What a sight that was.

I hurried on home to Trewalder skirting the minefield on the wastrels just above Constantine Beach, hoping that I would not be late for lunch. As usual there were scores of off-duty RAF aircrew wandering around on Treyarnon Point and on the beach. "Good job you were not seen by that Dornier pilot!" I thought to myself. I was not late for lunch. I immediately telephoned St Eval Operations and gave them my thrilling report. I heard later that it was a Dornier and the RAF had 'dealt with him'.

Very soon, next day in fact, I received my orders to return to my Training Ship Conway. My mother wrote to me with the news that our local beaches - from Booby's Bay to Treyarnon Bay - had had masses of dead fish washed in on the ebb tide on the day I had left to return to HMS Conway. Of course the off-duty aircrews were quick to see all these fish and thanks to that terrifying Dornier the RAF messes all had superb meals of really fresh fish. The best North Cornwall could provide for the next several days, as did those in Trewalder House!

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.