大象传媒

In the live programme about the unearthing of the remains of Ray Holmes' Hurricane fighter shown on Channel Five on 30 May, I described witnessing a German pilot who bailed out from the stricken bomber rammed by Ray Holmes' plane, and who came down and eventually landed just outside the Oval Cricket Ground in Kennington, South London. The date was Sunday, 15 September 1940, and is now known as Battle of Britain Day. I also noted two other parachutes, belonging to crewmembers of the bomber, headed toward Crystal Palace.

Perhaps there are other witnesses to this episode in history who would like to tell their story.

I saw the police car that was despatched from Kennington Lane Police Station which had to mount the pavement in order to get to the pilot because the road was blocked due to rubble from a block of flats that was bombed the night before. The bell was ringing on the police car as it rushed to get to the pilot. The officer-in-charge was Superintendent Gillies.

The reason for this urgency was that at the Vauxhall end of Kennington Lane there was a large hostile crowd of people who were making their way towards the Oval where the parachute was headed. From my vantage point -- which was on the roof of Lywood House, situated beside the Naffi in Kennigton Lane -- I could see that the crowd was still some distance away as the police car had turned into Vauxhall Street.

The parachute passed nearby me and continued onwards, passing close to the gasworks, and then on to Alverstone House, and eventually came to rest in Harleyford St, hooked on a lamppost close to Hobbs Gate, at the front end of the Oval cricket ground. As the pilot passed by me, I could see that his parachute was damaged, and that by the awkward movement of his arms, the pilot appeared to be wounded.

There was some speculation at the time about the maltreatment of the unfortunate German pilot, who died the following day in Queen Alexandra Military Hospital, Westminster, after being rescued by the police and military, and taken to the hospital via the Oval cricket ground. A story appeared in the South London Press a couple of days later. A long time has passed since the event. Many of the eye-witnesses are dead, and some may have moved away from the area.

I did not witness the pilot's landing, but would welcome any other feedback. Also feedback on the other (two) crewmembers, who actually survived the episode -- one being wounded -- and were taken into custody.

There is poignancy in this story. As I came down from the roof after the pilot disappeared from my view, my mother said something that has haunted me ever since, and shows her humanity in spite of the horrors inflicted during the intensive bombing by the Luftwaffe. She cried and then said that the pilot "was some mother's son" ... .

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