大象传媒

This story has been submitted by Alison Tebbutt of the CVS Action Desk, on behalf of W. Gordon Lee, and has been entered onto the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

In 1940 I was a Junior Booking Clerk at Codnor Park Station on the London Midland Scottish Railway. I started work at 6am to book the passengers, mostly girls travelling to work at Ericsons, the big electrical firm in Beeston. The Goods Clerk was Sam Eaton with whom I alternated my half-day shift each Wednesday and Saturday.

Living at Ambergate I cycled to Codner Park. On Wednesday 18th November it was Sam's half day so I took over his shift at 9am. Sam met me in an agitated state.

When he had arrived at 6am a signalman or shunter from the nearby Stoneyfield Sidings was waiting for him with a person in an airman's overcoat, who said that he was Captain Van Lott of the Dutch Air Force and had been over Germany bombing with the Royal Air Force. He said he made a forced landing near the sidings and had left a Sergeant in charge of the plane. He asked Sam to contact the nearest police station as he had been testing some special instruments and wanted to contact his base at Aberdeen.

Whilst waiting for the police Captain Van Lott chatted with Sam, who was busy booking passengers. Sam asked him if we would win the war, his reply being 'I think so.' 'You only think so?' asked Sam, to which Van lott retorted quickly, 'we will definately win.' He also talked of the way he followed railway signal lights when bombing. He entered his name in Sam's diary. The police then arrived and started to fire questions at Vann Lott.

Eventually they appeared satisfied with his answers and said 'we thought you were an escaped German POW.' Some have escaped from Swanwick Camp and there is one still at large.' They said to Sam, 'we will give you a description as he may come to the booking office window and try to pass himself off as a commercial traveller.' (I remember the description said he had no earlobes.)

What happened next to Van Lott came to us through the police. They were rather dejected as the airman was not Captain Vann Lott, but the prisoner of war, and ex-Messerschmitt pilot shot down in Kent during the Battle of Britain by the name of Baron Von Werrer.

When Van Lott arrived at Hucknall he was taken to the officer in charge. The officer was suspicious and tried to get Van Lott to take his overcoat off by stoking up the coal fire. Van Lott then intimated that he was going to find the toilet. As soon as he left the room and was outside he raced towards a hurricane and go into the cockpit. He pressed the starter button, but did not realise the accumulator trolley was not connected. Then a revolver was placed against his temple by the officer in charge. He had been on the phone to Aberdeen. There was no plane missing, no-one had been testing special equipment and there was no Captain Van Lott!

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