大象传媒

the scene is a small farm cottage, located on the balcombe road, between handcross and the village of balcombe, right adjacent to the tall red brick water tower, some 500 yds south of the farm, and cottage. sometime in the late summer of 1943, 44, . there was a search light regiment stationed in a field, opposite the farm cottage, my mother mrs caraline hobden was hosting a larage wedding party for one of the soldiers in her front garden there was approx. a 100 people attending, and having a lot o fun. my name is john hobden, carolines son , i was about ten years old at the time. i had a friend named basil blackman, we were playing in the field just out the front garden, when i saw a black object and a bright light overthe top of the trees, not far from the water tower, at first we did not know what is was, but suddenly the rocket motor stopped, and the bright light went out, and it changed course a little and we could see it a V1 or as we called it a doole bug , fear suddenly took over us and we became speechless and paralized, and unable to warn the party in the garden and we could see it was heading straight for the cottage and it was gliding silently from the sky, wobbling its wings a little. when suddenly from now where a spitfire came up from behind it and with its wing tipped the doodle bug over enough to change its course and miss the farm cottage by about a 1000yds to right, saving everyones life, including mine and my friend, there was a teriffic explosion and black smoke,and then the spitfire came back and did the victory roll over the house, and a loud cheer went upto the pilot as he waved to us, my friend basil passed away in 2003, but i visited him in 1999, and he said the remains of the doodle were still in the crater in the near by woods. signed john hobden

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