- Contributed by听
- Kernow
- People in story:听
- Brian A Langford
- Location of story:听
- Gravesend in Kent
- Article ID:听
- A2355978
- Contributed on:听
- 27 February 2004
I am 71/2 years old living in Havelock Road, Perry Street,Gravesend during late summer 1944.
The air siren sounded and my granmother told me to come in out of the garden, I said I was all right because I had my tin hat on for protection and I was sitting on our Anderson shelter which we had not used since 1942. (another story) I was facing south, to my right I could see the local barrage balloon which was put up each day from a local dairy field in Waterdales.
Then from the left came a V1 with it's engine running heading towards London. It hit the Balloon cable, caught it and swung a round the cable until it snapped and then dived into the
ground in one of the local pits in nearby Northfleet and did not explode. An individual who also saw this happen and who has since become a friend reckons that most of the V1 is still in the pit in very soggy ground.
The balloon then started to climb and finally burst into flames and the remains crashed to the ground. It was reported that more damage was done to the local house roofs by the cable coming down than that was caused by the V1.
PS. We have both spent quite a lot of time in recent years to go to France and look the remains of V1 sites who could well have sent this particular V1 over.
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