Hurricane 10.10.40 Tonbridge??

[uckwash]

10.10.40
Nr Tun Wells.
Hurricane 1 V6570, shot down for the 3rd time.
P/O LC Murch bailed out with broken arm. Based Kenley. Cat 3.
Thurs 10.10.40 date given in a/c Casualties of Kent & Fri 11th in BoB T&N.

The descripton provided from ground level was that this a/c crashed in the 'Tonbridge Area'.

Can anyone please confirm whether this crash location in fact this is correct?

Dave

Also:
Where can I contact: Malcolm Pettit or P.Baldock please?

[Andy Saunders]

The crash was at Castle Hill Farm, Tonbridge. The date was 11 October 1940.

Murch landed in a churchyard in Tunbridge Wells.

Malcolm Pettit is in the Tonbridge area. P Baldock was involved with the Robertsbridge Aviation Society.

[uckwash]

Many thanks Andy, sorry can’t think where I got 10th Oct. from. So the pilot landed 6 miles from his Hurricane. Bobby Oxspring DFC crossed the whole of TWells under canopy too when he baled out 2 weeks later on the 25th.
Earlier on 6.9.40 F/L Rhodes Moorehouse was killed when Hurricane 1 P8818 dived at high speed into High Brooms viaduct. This may explain why the 2nd account below, sounds remarkably like that (earlier) event.

'in the early part of October (1940) ......In the course of other exciting duels a a few days later a British pilot bailed out at 30,000ft and landed in a tree in the grounds of St Lukes vicarage. At first he was taken for a Polish pilot.' (Courier newspaper 13.10.44).

'In the dinner time alert on the 11th (11.15am-1pm) we suddenly heard a high pitched shriek of a fighter hurtling down out of control and watched it dive straight over the town to crash behind the railway viaduct at High Brooms. There was a small figure on a parachute became visible: It drifted lower and eventually landed in a tree in the garden of St Lukes. We always cheered the fall of a plane on the assumption it must be German we heard how quite a crowd had advanced on the pilot with various weapons. However he was found to be English and had an injury to his arm so was taken to the Kent & Sussex hospital, the plane being a Hurricane'.(DA Barmby, resident T.Wells 1940).

‘On the 11th October some excitement was caused when a parachutist was seen floating in the sky at 11 O’clock in the morning. This visitor landed in a Fir tree at the rear of St Lukes vicarage, had bailed out after an ariel battle. His arm was broken.’ The plane landed in the Tonbridge area.’ (Civil Defence, A History of the Borough).

I think his boot dropped off too. Perhaps his Westcountry accent gave rise to being taken for a Pole?

BTW. Do you recall the source of Bombers over Sussex’ record of the (Norwegian lfIX MH729) Spitfire down at Ticehurst 21/4/44 (was it derived locally ie.Sussex Constabulary?)

Dave