Bill McWatt – Billie was the only pilot known to have survived an outside loop or full bunt (centripetal force) in a Spitfire. (It was not possible to stay, at the least, under a 300mph airspeed in reaching the vertical attitude with a Spit.) Bill was unable to state exactly what happened, but someway or other while he was at 24,000 feet he was spun in a forward motion in the cockpit seat and forced onto the control column. When he came to, and was aware of his contortive condition, he was about 1,000 feet over the Channel. He managed to land relatively safely at Lympne aerodrome. When he, eventually, arrived to our little hospital, we were waiting for him, having brought his personal things to him. Although I had seen, and was yet to see some outrageous physical conditions of human beings, I have never seen a condition comparable to that of Bill’s. Two sacs of blood hung like poultry wattles from below each of his eyes, his eyes were completely red with green pupils, and he had vomited all over his torn flying suit. (About one and a half years later, I went to visit Bill in Southeast Wales. He had returned to flying although he was restricted from flying at very high altitudes. His eyeballs were still completely red. Bill’s wife said that she had recently married the ‘red flyer’. Helen, also, said that the RAF research people had been very interested in Billie’s plight.)
Joe ‘Bloody ‘ell’ Doley – Doley took a girl into a field near Chichester in order to make love to her and she finally took her high-heeled shoe off and hit him over the head, and left him in the dewy grass until he came to. He arrived to the Cottage in the early morning in a soaking wet condition.
No comments:
Post a Comment