大象传媒

My father was Flying Officer W Broadley No 178054 a Wellington Bomber Pilot with 172 Squadron Coastal Command, based at RAF Chivenor in North Devon.

On the night of 17 August 1944 the aircraft took off as usual for the night's work. Their job was to hunt down enemy submarines.

That night they had ony just left the airfield when a fault with the aeroplane was detected. The crew decided to go out to Barnstaple Bay and discarge the depthcharges they were carrying. This done they turned back to airbase. Unfortunately things went badly wrong. An engine became detached from the aeroplane and landed on the railway line between Barnstaple and Ilfracombe. The following day all the trains were stopped on that line. They managed to to carry on back to Chivenor. There was a dance being held in the Gym that night and Dad and the crew were afraid of the aircraft hitting building. The aeroplane missed the Gym and crashed onto the sports field to the rear of the building. As a result of the accident two crew members were killed a young man from Manchester and a Canadian airman 'Butch' Butchart. The pilot, an ex speedway rider, sustained a broken leg, others sustained minor physical injuries but deep emotional injuries. My father, the co-pilot, was blown from the aircraft and this resulted in him losing his right arm. The force of the blast also blew him out of his flying boots.

The sound of an aircraft in trouble and the resulting crash brought out all the personnel on the air station. A young WAAF risked her life to pull my father away from the aeroplane before it exploded further. He never know her name.

My father was taken to hospital in Barntaple for immediate life saving treatment. When he was well enough he was moved to the RAF Hospital Halton for further treatment, which included several more amputations to his damaged limb.

At the time of the accident my father was 22 years old, he had been married for just less than a year, and my mother, then aged 20 was pregnant with their first child. Me. I was born two months later and have grown up with this story.

My father's ambition was to become a commercial pilot, unfortnately this was not to be.

My parents went on to raise two more children and build up a very successful business.

Sadly my father died ten years ago, he was a very brave man who despite continual pain and suffering did not let his disability get in the way of living. He was much loved and an example to us all.

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