THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — These Findon Chronicles created by Valerie Martin, contain scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.

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On the beach early in the morning at Goring in July 2011.

THE GORING HURRICANE — Wednesday 4th September 1940

Copyright Valerie Martin 2010

We do not often see a hurricane in nearby Goring...... of the weather variety .... or the aircraft type.   

But a deep growl was heard as a Hurricane I (R4214) with No. 601 Squadron at Tangmere was forced to do an emergency landing at nearby Goring, a distance of some six miles, on Wednesday 4th September 1940.   It had sustained damage (petrol tank pierced) in a fierce combat with Messerschmitt Me Bf 110s over Worthing at 13.45.  

Local inhabitants rushed to see it.    Location of the exact downing of the Hurricane is unknown at the moment.  Perhaps someone will eventually tell me.

The Polish pilot, 26-year-old Flying Officer Jerzy Jankiewicz, was shot in the wrist but it is said he somehow managed to fly the Hurricane back to Tangmere where it was duly repaired.   This all seems highly unlikely to me and smells of exaggerated reporting.   Commonsense tells me that surely he would have ended up in hospital (at perhaps Worthing to have his wounded wrist treated?).    Also would not his Hurricane have needed the odd temporary repair before he flew it again?    

A few hours later he was said to be at High Salvington to see the Messerschmitt Bf 110 he had shot down and was cheered by the crowd of onlookers.  It was also reported that he had shot down three enemy aircraft that day before being hit himself which also seems to me a bit OTT.   I am wondering if this was a bit of propaganda by the British press of the day?   I can find no record of him claiming three aircraft for the day in question.   I think that perhaps the jubilant reporting was for the benefit of the general public and local morale..... and just perhaps (maybe) our pilot ace did pay a visit to the High Salvington crash before flying his Hurricane back to base at Tangmere.... with no intention of claiming it as his own victory.     Makes more sense to me.
 
The many local wartime crashes can perhaps be understandable as we had a number of operational fighter airfields around Findon.

Continue if you would like to read about The Blackpatch Messerschmitt

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This is Findon Village — www.findonvillage.com is a continually growing record created by Valerie Martin exclusively for documenting life in Findon.