2nd World War Bomber Crash in Evington

The story told by Mr A.W.P. Mackintosh

On the morning of 10th April, 1941, the writer was in Birmingham on business and when he returned to Evington about 1.00pm he saw a number of fire engines and ambulances near Errington’s Garage.  (Errington’s Garage was situated on Main Street, in Evington.)

On his arrival home, his wife told him that Mr. Sawday (The architect who owned Evington House, which is now in Evington Park), wanted him urgently.  She then said, rather excitedly, that a large plane had passed over the house about three times, each time getting lower, and she had heard that it had finally crashed near Evington House.

On arrival at Evington House, Mr. Sawday told him briefly what had happened.  The plane was a Hampden Bomber with a crew of five aboard.  Four had been killed outright and the rear gunner was still alive but critically injured.

Mr. Sawday said he had a most important meeting to attend in town and must leave immediately.  He wanted Mr. Macintosh to get together some of our men to guard the plane and keep the general public away.

The first thing the writer did was to look at the wreck which was in the field where Cordery Road now is.  He then looked towards the out-buildings of Evington House and noticed a hole in the roof of the double-storied building.  The ground floor of this building housed a model of the district and everything seemed in order there  When he went upstairs, however, he found two bombs lying side by side on the loft floor.  This was rather an alarming discovery so he immediately went to the house and told Mrs. Sawday and recommended that she and the two maids find somewhere else to stay for the time being and this they did right away.

When he had got his team together and given them their instructions, he returned to him own house and found his wife, who was expecting, most anxious to get to the Maternity Home which was in Clarendon Park.

Since there was some more urgent work to be done with regard to the wrecked plane, he got Mr. Soar – the proprietor of Soar’s Garage – to take his wife to the Maternity Home.

The story behind the crash then began to unfold itself.  The pilot of the bomber knew a young lady who lived in St. Denys Road and he was showing-off, presumably with the expectation of attracting her attention.  On the final run, he just missed the writer’s house and then hit the chimney of the house in St. Denys Road.  The occupant of this house was a Mrs. Harris, who had been recently married.  Previously she was well known as the daughter of Mr. Cotton, the, then, newsagent in the Village.

Mrs. Harris was out in the back garden, presumably alerted by all the noise, when the plane hit the chimney of her house and she was killed by the falling bricks.  It also caused the plane to tip forward and crash with the fatal results, as mentioned.

The writer was eventually able to get to the Maternity Home about 6.00pm, just after the baby, a son, was born.

About 8.00pm, a detachment of King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, under a Lieutenant, arrived and took charge of the wrecked plane and that is where our involvement ended.  And so ended a very hectic day.

Mr. A.W.P. Mackintosh

(From a pamphlet written for Evington Local History Society in October 1986)