In March 1943 a Spitfire that was being delivered to a squadron had a total loss of power and crashed into a cottage in the centre of the village. It was being flown by by the ATA pilot Hazel Jane Raines who remarkably survived. Little did the village realize just how remarkable this young lady who had just ‘dropped in’ was. This page is dedicated to her memory. Many thanks to Derek Palmer who actually witnessed the crash and whose tenacious research unearthed the pilots identity, his letter follows below.
THE TIDWORTH AREA
STOP PRESS
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