大象传媒

I lived in Hornchurch as a boy, and was used to seeing fighter aircraft roaring across at near to rooftop level, making window panes rattle, as they proceeded to or from the nearby Battle of Britain Hornchurch aerodrome. One day I heard an aircraft that sounded in trouble. It was a Spitfire that could not quite make it to the aerodrome. The engine was misfiring. It circled overhead first, then I saw it head downwards. I judged where it came down. It made a forced wheels up landing in Hylands Park, skidding across the grass and ending up in the driveway of a bungalow in Globe Road. It was as though the pilot had decided to park it as one would a car. Kids from around the area gathered very quickly. Two special constables arrived and tried to keep the kids at bay. At first they succeeded, then there was a mass rush forward to get closer to see the 'plane. It was funny to see the two constables catch an armful of kids each, and the rest surged past. The pilot stepped out uninjured and I remember seeing him wearing his flying boots. Everyone thought he was a hero. Someone started up a collection. How clever he was to put the 'plane down so neatly in that driveway. The bungalow is still there, and the space where the Spitfire ended up is now occupied by a garage.

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