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In 1943 my father was convalescing after an operation at Bart's Hospital, which had been evacuated to - I think - Hill End near St Albans. One fine August afternoon, just before my seventh birthday, my mother, sister and I visited my father there and were having tea on the lawns when we heard the sound of an aircraft approaching. Like all small boys at that time I could recognise most aircraft, and
I remember looking up and seeing a Mosquito coming towards us from the west. We then spotted another one coming from the opposite direction. They appeared to be at the same height and they were travelling very fast. Someone cried "My God, they're going to crash!" and a split second later they did - pretty well head on. The sound of the impact made a sharp crack. The aircraft disintegrated into a myriad of small pieces, most of which floated down uncannily slowly as the aircraft were made of wood. To my seven-year-old eyes one fragment was shaped just like a model glider. There was one open parachute.

A fuel tank landed a couple of fields away and exploded with a thud. A column of brown smoke billowed up. Almost immediately a stream of doctors and nurses ran from the hospital to the crash site - another image that remains vivid to this day. Their rescue bid was futile, alas.

As may be imagined, the whole incident remains indelibly printed in my memory and I am sure that were I to visit Hill End today I could still point to where the debris landed.

We subsequently learned that the aircraft were on test flights from De Havilland's aerodrome at Hatfield. Both crews perished and it was reported that one of the pilots was John de Havilland, younger son of Geoffrey de Havilland, founder of the organisation that was to become British Aerospace. I recently found out from Philip J.Birtles' excellent book 'Mosquito, the Illustrated History' that the other pilot was George Gibbins. Their observers were G.J.Carter and J.H.F.Scrope. The aircraft were Mosquito Mark VI fighter bombers HX849 and HX850. The exact date was August 23rd, 1943.

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