´óÏó´«Ã½

I was going home on another half day — (I had a lot of half days back then). I’d gone parallel with Baker Street and up Gloucester Place and continued going North, and then I came to Avenue Road with the junction of Lords Cricket Ground, and was about to continue up towards Swiss Cottage.

Now, I was about 100 yards before the Lords Cricket Ground and I heard a doodle-bug coming straight up the road behind me, and it was about 4000 feet. Anyway, there was no one about at the time; (mind you I wasn’t particularly looking for anyone - but it was pretty quiet considering it was around lunchtime). I glanced back towards Baker Street and this doodle-bug was as if it coming straight for me! (Well it was, but at a higher level.)

I got off my bike and I lay in the kerb, because that’s the best place to be. What happened was, it got pretty well overhead, and I glanced up, and as I did so, the engine stopped. Well with it’s momentum it would carry itself forward, and I knew where I was concerned that I’d be safe, but I did in fact see it go down in front of me, and it crashed about a mile away on some flats near St John’s Wood Underground Station, and of course a number of people were killed and there were lots of injuries, and lots of damage.

This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Becky Barugh of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Shropshire CSV Action Desk on behalf of Bill Kendall and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

See more of Bill's stories:

• A White-Faced Inspector
• Chipolatas and Chips
• Doody
• Given a bit of cheek
• High-Tailed it home
• How it all began
• I was BKFJ434
• ’Let him go and let him tarry’
• In a split second timing
• Oranges and Lemons
• Rotten Bananas
• Waste not, Want not
• Tiny and Shiny
• Free post
• Time just came and went
• No. 1 London

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