A friend of mine at work has extensive family from South London many of whom lived through WW2 there. I have nagged him many times to get their stories down on paper and in return I have researched bits I can to add some colour/fact, including one of the guys service in North Africa which helped explain some of the souvenirs he brought home for the ‘kids’.
The latest installment though was from a lady who was a school girl at the time and she recollects… ‘In summer of 1940 part of a German bomber (she thought it was tail section) came down close to our house.’ The family lived in the Deptford/Lewisham area and taking aged memories with a pinch of salt I thought I would find it fairly easily and probably have to report back that the date was wrong, it wasn’t a tail section, or a bomber or even German but so far I have drawn a complete blank!!
The only possibility I have found is the Me109 that blew up over Welling (some 5 miles away) on October 20, 1940 (so not summer or a bomber!!) the front end crashed and was well photographed but I can find no details of the tail section and where it may have landed?
Could that be the one or am I clutching at straws and can anyone help me with a more likely candidate?
Thanks in advance for any help
Steve
By: Steve Newman - 10th November 2015 at 12:35
Now the auction is over (and no i certainly did not buy the piece!!) was wondering with the fear of any ulterior motives of mine gone, if anyone was able to help.
I cannot find any official confirmation of a plane down in the area but have been pointed to another local memory of it, here…
Thanks in advance
Steve
By: Steve Newman - 29th October 2015 at 17:41
Thanks Bunsen,
I have done some other research there on older family history in the past much of it WW1 and didnt seen any reference to details of a crash in the area but to be honest I wasn’t looking at that point.
Re the item for sale, interesting but not related to my enquiry, I would just post it up for an opinion if that was the case as I would certainly want confirmation of it being genuine before bidding on a ‘glam’ piece like that and pretty certain if thats the real deal the estimate is way to low!!
As mentioned my query is from an elderly memory and if anything from a Spitfire to a B17 came down in the area it is more likely to be the info I am seeking.
Cheers
Steve
By: Whitley_Project - 29th October 2015 at 17:17
Interestingly this is up for auction at the moment:
http://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/greenslade-taylor-hunt/catalogue-id-srgr10052/lot-b49e0578-7112-4fdd-b62d-a53a00e6c01b
By: Bunsen Honeydew - 29th October 2015 at 16:32
Could that be the one or am I clutching at straws and can anyone help me with a more likely candidate?
Steve
I don’t think you’re clutching at straws but it’s going to be difficult to find details.
A letter to Lewisham Library local history section might produce some results, they’re quite keen to help but records are a bit vague in some areas.
I picked up some airframe parts in a bush on Shooters Hill, which is moving in the right direction from Welling. The Elliott works and adjacent railway junction at Lewisham were particular targets for the Luftwaffe, as was Woolwich Arsenal and the Naval Yard at Deptford. Surrey Docks was also a target, although now it and the Arsenal are full of yuppy hutches. The area was well defended, there was one or more anti aircraft batteries on Blackheath, more in Woolwich and Mudchute on the Isle of Dogs, which still has a 3.7″ gun.
So the chances of bits of aeroplane falling out of the sky are pretty good
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October 29, 2015 at 3:04 pm