‘We saw several
formations of enemy fighters but no bombers. The fighters left tout suite when
they saw us but we didn’t follow as we were looking for bombers. Didn’t see any
so went home’.
Later that day,
24 hour leave pass in hand and car freshly filled with petrol, John headed to
London with Billy Pattullo. ‘They ‘went [to] numerous places. Met four Aussie
officers and started a sing song at Regent Palace, then onto several night
clubs. Had a whoopee time’.
Meanwhile at
Warmwell, it was wet and windy, ‘a V quiet day’. With no impending action, Ken
and Marrs piled into O’Brian’s car at about 3.00 p.m. and headed to Warminster
where ‘their’ Ju 88 had crashed. They had plans to souvenir some bits and
pieces but, when they arrived two hours later, they were disappointed to
discover that the Tank Corps had ‘pinched things—almost everything from it’. There
was a crowd surrounding the machine, which had been roped off in an attempt to
keep the sightseers and souvenir hunters at bay. Our souvenir hunters, however,
were allowed to climb all over the Ju 88, which was in surprisingly good
condition. Despite being stripped by the Tank Corps, Ken and his friends claimed
an ‘altimeter and petrol tank dip stick—good condition—armoured pilot seat’.
But claiming
souvenirs was not the only thing on Ken’s mind as he studied the stricken enemy
aircraft. He wanted to improve his chances of increasing his score in future
conflicts and of course maximise his chance of survival. As he looked all over
the Ju 88 he noticed where their bullets had gone, including in the radiator
and the back of the pilot’s back armour plated seat, and so he ‘concluded [the]
way to get it was to shoot rear gunners and then engines’.
Mementos safely
stored away, the three departed at about 7.00 p.m. and had a good meal and
drinks at the Haunch of Venison at Salisbury. They made an evening of it and
Ken did not turn in until just after midnight.
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