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THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — www.findonvillage.com created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.
ERIC MASTERS RECALLS 4TH SEPTEMBER 1940
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Dipping into the bran tub of local Findon history, the past was not all Hovis-land and picturesque cobblestones, especially during the Second World War years.
The 4th September 1940 was fine and it was warm with a haze laying in the Channel four miles south of Findon. Just after midday, five enemy bombers were first spotted over Dover in Kent. An hour later, some two hundred hostile aircraft had crossed the coast on a wide front between Dover and Littlehampton (not far from Findon) at 20,000 feet.
The majority flew over Kent and Sussex and about fifty aircraft patrolled menacingly along the coast to Shoreham.
Eric Masters has recalled for me some of the air battles that raged over the downland on Wednesday 4th September 1940 in those dark days. It was a frightening sight over the countryside close to Findon.
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According to my notes and records this is what I have for Wednesday Sept 4th 1940 A number of ME110s were attacked around mid day after an attempted raid on the Vickers works at Brooklands Surrey by 43 SQN Hurricanes at least 6 were shot down those in our area were as follows ..... 1 at Toat Farm Pulborough two crew killed. 1 at church Farm Washington site as you say under the Washington By-Pass crew two killed. 1 at High Salvington crew two baled out. Last one at Mill Hill Shoreham now along side the new by-pass I saw this one lying in the field .... crew two taken prisoner. These aircraft came from Stab/ZG.2 based at Toussee-le-Noble, Northern France. On the side of the nose was a big red arrow on a black back ground. June 4th 1941 a Spitfire crashed at Findon. June 17th 1943 a Typhoon A/F No DN 484 force landed at Findon with engine failure. Some time later in the war two Spitfires collided in cloud one fell in the foot hills west of the little lane leading from the Steyning Washington road the other one fell at Wappingthorne Farm north of Steyning . Eric Masters, November 2003.
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The enemy Messerschmitt that was attacked over Findon and eventually crashed at High Salvington is depicted on this website under that date for The Battle of Britain in the Findon area in September 1940 ....
....and the Spitfire coming down in Findon on 4th June 1941 under my — Second World War Years in Findon.
See my article entitled Preparing for D-Day in Findon for a full account of the Typhoon forced down on 17th June 1943.
Thank you, Eric for recording these occurrences as they happened in our area.
Continue if you would like to read about Field Trials at Findon in 1953.
This is Findon Village — www.findonvillage.com is a continually growing record created by Valerie Martin exclusively for documenting life in Findon.
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E-mail: valeriemartin@findonvillage.com |
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