Mum to the rescue of downed airman

ON October 27, 1944, a plane crashed at Bryn Pydew, near Llandudno, owing to a build-up of ice. On that moonlit night and hearing a low-flying aircraft, my parents — Tom and Liz Davies — looked out of the bedroom window and saw two white mushroom shapes silently descending. Realising they were parachutes, my parents set off across the fields to search, not knowing whether they would find friend or foe. My mother stumbled over an injured British airman and helped him to his feet. With his arm across her shoulder and leaning heavily against her, they slowly progressed to the nearby farm. according to my mother, the airman was tall while she was short. Though he was in pain, he repeatedly asked if she was all right. at the farm, he was reunited with his crew-mate and they were given ‘tea and sympathy’. My parents never knew his name, but often spoke of that night and wondered what became of that kind young airman who baled out over a North Wales farm. and where was I when all this took place? Fast asleep! You can imagine my indignation at breakfast when I heard about the exciting happenings of the previous night. as a 13-yearold I was bitterly disappointed at missing the opportunity of meeting a real live airman. Through my own inquiries, I discovered that the crew of the ill-fated plane, a Handley Page Halifax HR 723, comprised of six Canadians and one english airman, who had been helped by my mother. He was the Flight engineer, Sergeant Jack Wagstaff. Many years later I finally tracked down a friend of Jack’s who gave me the sad news that only a fortnight earlier, at the end of October 1994, he had died in america, where his daughter lived. I wish that I’d had the chance to meet him.

Dorothy Bates, Ty’n-y-Groes, Conwy Valley.