大象传媒

On the night of 25/26 July 1943,whilst serving as a Flight Engineer on No 78 Squadron, R.T.Davies 655244 and his crew had the misfortune to cop one on a visit to Essen. Thier Halifax Mark-2,JD330,received unwelcome attention from both flak and night fighter and was set on fire, it eventually crashed near Duisburg. From the stricken bomber, however, Reg, together with his Captain, Pilot Officer E.Carrington 133251,and Bomb Aimer Sergeant H.W.Marshall 1480138, managed to survive."After capture,something almost unbelievable happened;the young Luftwaffa Officer,into whose temporary custody we were placed, recognised my Skipper as his erstwhile teacher at a school in Trinidad! Shortly after the First World War Carrington's parents had left England to work in the Carribean where the young Carrington had eventually grown up and became a teacher. The German Officer's parents had done likewise, albeit some time later,and their boy had gone to the same school,in fact'Carry'taught him English-which,to his credit the young German spoke very well.Despite the amazing coincidence the Skipper obeyed his orders to the letter,revealed nothing at interrogation and the German respected this,in any case Carrington was in no mood to talk at length;he was in extreme pain,having broken his leg when he fell awkwardly on a railway line trying to avoid a train as it passed beneath him during his long descent. I hope his ex-pupil used some influence and got him to hospital quickly? I never saw him again."