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This story was submitted to the People’s War Site by Three Counties Action, on behalf of Alfred John Elliott, and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.

In 1944 I was spending my school summer holiday with my Grandparents in Darsham village Suffolk. I soon became familiar with the sights and sounds of the flying fortress airplanes going and returning from their missions.

On a beautiful Saturday evening in August I met my Uncle and Auntie who were going to visit my other Auntie who lived at Stone Cottage, Hinton Corner. When we arrived we realised that no one was at home so we started to walk back to red house farm. It was at this moment that I saw a Flying Fortress in the sky above us with fighter escort planes following. I stopped to look at the planes and saw a dark object drop away from the back of the back of the fortress plane and move forward towards the front, within seconds it hit the under carriage causing a massive explosion.

As the debris started to fall my Uncle shouted for us to get into the ditch and to press ourselves against the hedge. We all escaped unhurt although all around us scattered on the ground we could see small parts of the plane. Later we saw another Flying Fortress flying very low with an airman at the open door looking out at the scene.

Many years later one engine was found in the woods at Hinton Corner, it was then confirmed who the pilot of the stricken plane was. The name of the pilot was Joseph Kennedy the eldest brother of J.F.K the President of the U.S.A.

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