Town mayor parachuted to safety from an aircraft

12:21pm Thursday 6th November 2008

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TO a youngster in the 1930s, Mr Barnard said, the crossing of the River Avon at Hampton Ferry for the fare of a ha’penny return, was an experience out of this world.

The picnics on Clark’s Hill were a special treat at weekends, enjoyed over many years by his family and to sit on the slopes where the monks had their vineyards, enjoying cakes and Brealey’s pop, was the beginning of a passion to know more about the Monks and their home at Evesham Abbey.

Visits to Hampton were always looked forward to, said Mr Barnard, and it was many years later, on May 27, 1944, that an engine test flight over Hampton in a Halifax JD 110 brought back so many childhood memories of Clark’s Hill, the Ferry and St Andrew’s Church, where John Alcester became the parish priest some years after the Dissolution of the Abbey.

Among the treasures in Evesham’s Almonry Museum is a copy of the rare Matthew Bible, printed in 1537, which Mr Barnard said contains manuscript notes written in John Alcester’s own hand as a Monk of Evesham Abbey.

Mr Barnard’s sketch shows St Andrew’s church, flying the Cross of St Andrew, the Dame School and War Memorial, while on the left is an express train which has just crossed Pershore Road railway bridge a few moments after leaving Bengeworth station.

Mr Barnard explained: “Hampton station was known as Bengeworth to avoid confusion with Hampton-in-Arden. The station was closed in 1952 and the line itself in 1963.”

The Halifax bomber in Mr Barnard’s sketch has the number of a special Evesham war time connection, that of former Evesham mayor Jock Loudoun’s Halifax Mk II FNP, based with 158 Squadron, RAF Bridlington.

Sgt Loudoun miraculously managed to parachute to safety from the Halifax, was captured by the Germans and spent the next two years in Stalag/VB, several miles from Colditz.

Sgt Loudoun was rear gunner in the plane when it came under fire on a bombing run to Essen. Sadly, the remaining members of the crew lost their lives and after the war he went to Holland to pay his respects to the six young men of his crew numbered among the 55,00 bomber crews who gave their lives in the cause of freedom.

The ME 110 that shot down the Halifax was piloted by Rudolph Sigmund whose own aircraft was damaged in the exchange of fire. He lost his own life later when he was shot down by German ack ack.

Mr Barnard said: “This story was told to me by Mr Loudoun on a summer’s day. His moving comment that there was nothing like an English summer day told it all.

“My sketch is in memory of Jock who is buried in Hampton churchyard, always remembered.”