Transcript of our interview with Ella and Noel Whear

We had the good fortune to be able to interview with Mrs Ella Weir of Enys Road, Camborne, on Wednesday 24th October 2011, regarding the crash of Bristol Beaufort bomber AW288 on the 28th July 1942.

EW; "To begin with my grandfather he was underground mine cap'n at Tin Croft and he had a house built in Enys road No: 37, and my mother was born there and so was I. So that's going back to the generations now. Well this particular morning in July, 1942 I think it was, is that right?"

BW; "Yes"

EW; "I was studying at Harry Carveth's Commercial School in Illogan Highway, and that day of days we were goin' take our exams so we all know how we feel when taking exams, full of nerves, and all of a sudden my dad said; "Hear that plane, that's one of ours", cos we could always tell by the engines, and he said; "They're in trouble", and he, my dad was an engineer. So, we listened, and it came, it was coming nearer, and it came, and it went right over our house carrying on towards Portreath, and losing height all the time. Well all of a sudden there was this black cloud, and we knew what had happened and we had this exam coming up, my friend and I, so being young we jumped on our bikes, 'cos we were going to Illogan Highway in any case cycling, with a war on, and we, within 'bout 5 minutes maybe a bit more, we were at Roscroggan."

BW; "Which route did you take to take to get there?"

EW; "I took the route, the top of Enys Road, then you go down that little - "

BW; "Buckets Lane?"

EW;"Bucket? No not Bucket, Bucca (then spelled out) Lane and ,well as we turned the corner of the little incline that led to the chapel and this little bungalow, well it was awful, they had crashed, they'd hit the chapel. The chapel was, well it didn't matter to us very much because we were worried about who was in the plane, and, we went as near as we dared but, I could see this one young man, I assumed he was the pilot, and he, I have never forgotten it, he was trying to break open the window, the cockpit window, with his elbow and you could see his arm, the uniform, and we never had even a bicycle pump between us - that - I though if only we had bicycle pump or something to help to smash that, well, ????"

BW; "Well probably it wouldn't have done."

EW; "Well probably it wouldn't."

BW; "Which side of the aircraft did you see in the sky?"

EW; "It was down, and it had crashed by now, and he was trying to break the window on the side, of this side towards Camborne."

BW; "Ok, so if you are looking at the front of the aircraft, if we were, if you bring yourself around which window?"

EW; "The right-hand side and the plane coming down the right. Well at the time the feeling of helplessness is terrible when you can see and you can't help. And there was a gentleman the other side of this chaos, as you could describe it, and I didn't know him he didn't know us, and we were too far away to speak to him. Well anyway we stayed there a while, when you knew what had happened, everything was hopeless and of course we had the exams looming up that we had, we were told to be there about 9 o'clock, well you know what exams are like, and my friend Thora, she was called Thora Lovering she said; ""We'll look we got get back and take those exams that we'd been studying for." and I said; "Yeah we better leave it", because it was hopeless, there was nothing two 16 year old girls could do, so we went. Well when we got to Mr Carveth's, which was natural, he said; "Oh yeah what've held you up this time?" And we said, " A plane crashed", and he looked at us as though we were crazy. He said, "You're not serious?" and we said, "Yes", and told him the story, he said, "Well take exams but I don't know what your results will be", because we were still like this (guess shaking hands to show). Terrible, awful.

Anyway we came away from taking exams, awful results which we expected, and we came home. And then naturally said we would go down again. Well that was worse than ever, because there was a shoe up in one of the trees and I have never ever forgotten it, and it's a peculiar thing but every time I have drive past, or in my past life, go past that way I always think of that day."

BW; "Going to, going to, strong connection with that place."

EW; "When this was suggested, I think Mr Bennetts, had a word with him yeah we were there, and we've, well I haven't, never forgotten that experience."

BW; "Have you visited the crash site?"

EW; "Well twice same day, and then since then, when it was being tidied up a bit we went there, and we went to the opening when they had the plaque didn't agree with reports I had sent to me, cos I wrote to the Commander at Nancekuke , (closing door and other conversation), the pilot's error, cos he were blamed, I feel very close and sorry this happened to them. Cos I think coming from Nancekuke they were going to Malta and heading, I would say, to Land's End then on to Malta. We have been there twice, course I think of these dear boys that was going to be their destination. Looking at this and reading this, won't tell you what my husband said, came out of the cloud and he was too low for the plane to recover. Well if you got an aeroplane and the engine conks out on you."

MS; "Research on this plane fault with engine. We have done some research, fully loaded as it was it had no choice but to come down."

BW; "loaded with fuel and it was strapped underneath auxiliary tank, extra."

BW; "As flew over Enys Road did it make any unusual noise?"

EW; "Yeah, as it was a straight line to Culdrose, oh, Portreath, so I would think their direction was to, when they turned and came to Camborne and headed to the direction last row of houses Enys Road, fields all the way to Portreath Tregaye Hill, endeavouring to get estates to avoid Camborne. Saved a lot of lives that day doing that. but each, as it happened you could hear the tone of engine, and my dad, engineer Holman's, they're our boys and they're in trouble went over apple tree it was gradually losing height and they could not do anything else, and it was unfortunate it landed on chapel and bungalow. If it was a second or two more fields..."

BW; "Was there anything thrown out of aircraft, as it was crashing?"

EW; "Nothing."

BW; "Thrown out to gain height?"

EW; "Losing height mum and dad watching it."

MS; "Was there anything unusual about how the plane looked? Smoke or difficulty in controlling it?"

EW; "It looked perfect, nothing because they kept losing height, as my mum and dad, we was watching it, lovely picture, nothing thrown out, not that I saw. According to some of the reports or people living there, they were right there and they gave their experience also that day, but it was a day the people of Roscroggan, and Thora and I will never forget it. because it was such a close proximity to you."

BW; "Suddenly the war is on your doorstep."

EW; "...if only they could have kept it up a bit longer, just a few minutes ..."

BW; "How active was the tin streaming works at that time?"

EW; "Oh they were working as far as I remember then."

BW; "That was all still working along Roscroggan, the far side of the river there."

EW; "Yes."

BW; "The chapel did not have a congregation."

EW; "We were saying about the chapel, weren't we earlier on, the chapel you say today sold and make into a home, that was full good congregations, very active, that was a church built much better than the other one. I assume the other chapel been there all my life, looked a chapel not quite so... ...it was a cob chapel, dearly loved by all the people in the area, I and I'm a Methodist. Centenary there by Tesco. Quite active myself in the past with the chapels. This one was hit, closed down. The other one kept going years, years, and years, dear friend playing he organ and she did that for years she was very very devoted to her chapel. That was my experience. It gave great joy suggested about the plaque and what everyone was trying to do, though pity could not trace relative to have been there."

BW; "That is what we are doing - we will come to that in a moment."

EW; "How wonderful. So delighted my husband and I have gone over to the church Illogan where they have the crosses and headstones, where they boys are at rest."

BW: "Did you go to the funeral?"

EW; "Course I had my husband. No as far as I know regarding the military, the RAF, um, we never, personally speaking I never heard another word,always knew we were told could not trace relatives, difficult war."

BW; "So back to the crash site, had you ever seen a man with one arm down there? A funny question, another eyewitness report Ivor Corkhill..."

EW; "Born at the top of Kings Road there, lovely boy come back home."

BW; "He has an account of a chap Dennis, worked for Colin Matthews here, one of boys when the boys arrived went down gang went down man with one arm, stirrup pump trying to put the fire out on the plane. I'm just trying to tally up what you saw - desperation, struggling to do it."

EW; "Had one arm and trying to put the fire out?"

BW; "This is what the boy Dennis saw; a man with one arm and a stirrup pump apparently an engine was in the road and he was putting the fire out."

BW; "So when and where did the aircraft come to rest?"

EW; "It was looking as though, this may sound daft, as if it was, coming down the hill the young man I saw, not resting in the road, just where bushes and brambles are, never saw anyone with a stirrup pump, I see I felt like that, drop of water you would have thrown it I would say except that as in the situation never felt so helpless looking at Thora looking at him. Exams to go to exams future."

BW; "How long was the wreckage there? Maybe a week or two?"

EW; "Cant say categorically how long. Had a feeling it was cleared very quickly. Fire brigade come, dunno Thora and I had that exam."

BW; "After the event did you hear any rumours?"

EW; "Only the men from Holman's and my mum and dad, dad his experience engines suited the men in Holman's. Nothing all those years, then all of a sudden, things started to move which was very good I was very delighted. This is the letter I wrote..."

BW; "...low cloud, we actually have from the meteorological office we have the weather report, a bit cloudy not the cause of the air crash..."

EW; "No it wasn't"

NW; "Had a fault and had a job to keep up."

BW; "...Show you some photos of the airmen?"

MS; "...born in South Africa and grew up in Rhodesia..."

EW; "That little chap that I saw he had fair hair. What lovely young lads..."

BW; "He was the pilot or navigator..."

EW; "That one I saw was plain as I'm looking at you."

BW; "That's interesting as that is where the navigator would sit."