At tea-time on Saturday 25th August 1940, Harold Renouf, then twenty seven was returning by lorry to Shanklin from Billingham Manor where he had been working as a bricklayer. There had been sporadic air activity throughout the day and when the driver saw people scurrying for cover, he decided to pull-in under the trees at the top of Victoria Avenue. It was a sensible decision, for just overhead, a tremendous dog-fight was taking place. Harold saw many aircraft and in particular, a German fighter being pursued by a Hawker Hurricane.
The enemy aircraft was a Messerschmitt Me 109E (nicknamed an Emil) of 6/JG2, based at Beaumont-le-Roger. It was flown by Feldwebel Gerhardt Ebus, who in his desperation to shake off his foe, had used every trick in the book.
Through the tree-tops, Harold Renouf saw the drama unfold. The German's cockpit canopy flew away and tumbled earthwards. A hunched form, .. the pilot, slowly separated from the main bulk of the aeroplane. Both shapes passed together, high across the gap in the tree tops. As the aircraft disappeared from view, waving strands trailed from the pilot until, he was suddenly jerked back as his parachute burst open. For a moment, Gerhardt Ebus swung in the sky beneath the silk panels, which in the summer light, appeared like a beautiful mother-of-pearl blossom. It was not to be his saviour for long.
It became clear that the airman wouldn't make the land. The parachute was drifting towards the sea and the helpless pilot prepared himself by kicking off his cumbersome flying boots, one of which fell into the garden of Auriol House in Languard Road.
That was the last Harold saw of the German pilot but something he saw a little later, bears witness and exonerates, ... even to this day.
Having fallen into the sea off Shanklin, F/W Ebus was dragged across the water by his parachute. A boat was launched and a local longshoreman accompanied by a soldier went to get the German. After some time, the pilot's lifeless body was brought ashore. There was an ugly gash across the forehead.
For many years, black rumours
have fermented as to how the airman really died. It has been
said that Ebus was just treading water, waiting to be picked
up but when brought ashore, he was dead, ... with that mysterious
gash!
It has been suggested, that Ebus was yet another 'unlucky' German
who fell into the hands of 'the wrong captors'. That perhaps
a heavy rowlock or some other blunt instrument was used to finish
him off. However, according to Mr. Renouf, the cockpit canopy
fell into the grounds of Mr. Johns the hairdresser at Hungerberry
Close in Shanklin. Mr. Renouf saw it the next day and reports
that he distinctly remembers that it was covered in blood. As
the canopy was jettisoned before the pilot bailed out, then he
must have already been badly wounded. Hopefully, this will serve
once and for all to lay those rumours.
In fact, the cockpit canopy remained in a Shanklin garden for many years and was used as a cloche. One of the pilot's boots was put on display for a while, in the window of a small shop at the top of the High Street. It was used to collect donations for the Spitfire Fund.
After its pilot had left it, the Messerschmitt 109, continued towards Ventnor. As it was over Greatwood Copse on Cowlease hill, it went into a vertical dive. On the upper edge of the woodland, there was a long forgotten well which had been boarded over with railway sleepers. Covered by many years of fallen leaves and brambles, this platform had become indistinguishable from the surrounding undergrowth. The nose of the aircraft hit the sleepers smack in the middle and splintered through. The fuselage plunged into the depths leaving the wings and part of the tail section scattered around the well rim.
Someone who was very close to the crash told a reporter from the Isle of Wight Chronicle: "I first saw the Messerschmitt just as the fighter had got on its tail and was pumping tracer into it. The next moment the Nazi plane went into a steep dive and there was a tiny puff of white as the pilot baled out"
The report continued: The Messerschmitt came screaming down from a tremendous height. It crashed into a thickly wooded copse within 500yds of where I was stood. Members of the Home Guard and Military rushed up. All of us were mystified at the uncanny silence which reined immediately after the plane crashed through the tree tops. A column of smoke guided us to the spot and a fantastic scene provided the explanation to the mystery.
A few fragments of tail and wings were all that remained above the ground. The fuselage and most of the wings and tail had plunged headlong into a disused well. The force of the impact with the well rim must have crushed the wings in against the body, as there was no sign of any of the main structure of the plane beyond the part of the tail which bore the swastika.
Flames and black smoke vomited from the well and twice the ground shook beneath our feet as explosions rumbled far below. Meanwhile in that lovely woodland glade, the birds twittered and flew amongst the trees. The reality of what I saw, moved a Home Guard to mutter, "I suppose it was a plane we saw."
An officer arrived and to him a policeman handed over the grotesque crumpled fragment carrying the swastika. This will be forwarded to the RAF authorities as indisputable evidence that this particular Nazi plane was "Definitely destroyed."
Another report in same paper:
During a big air offensive by German planes on Saturday afternoon,
a Messerschmitt 109 was shot down by "Spitfires". The
fuselage of the machine went straight through a well, the wings
and tail having been torn off as the machine plunged through
some trees.
From the mouth of the well came flames and smoke and the sound of muffled explosions as the petrol tank exploded.
A farmer feeding pigs not 100yds away took cover among the bags of meal and people blackberrying on the downs, found themselves too close to the smash for comfort.
The well was bored during tests for water about 45 years ago. The last member of the party who sank the well died about 4 years ago. We understand that during construction of the well, two men went down to dig and as they failed to come up again, the foreman went down to investigate. All three were killed by the gasses which filled the bottom of the well.
Some time later during the war, a Homeguard or Council expedition was organised to salvage the Daimler-Benz engine and any other parts of interest. Sheer-legs were improvised in a tripod-like arrangement over the well mouth and Leslie Phillips, being the slightest of stature in the party, was elected to descend into the hole. The mystery is that no engine was found and, apart from a square magnet and a lot of ammunition, nothing else. The site was further investigated many years later by a band of aviation historians, among whom was the very experienced Steve Vizard. Again, after an extensive search including the use of a mechanised digger to remove the side of the hill, nothing of significance was recovered from the well bottom. However, a 20mm wing cannon was found vertically embedded in the soil about six feet from the well rim.
It would be interesting to discover who removed the main parts of this aircraft and when it was accomplished.
The 'kill' was credited to P/O W. Gordon, flying a Hurricane of 234 Squadron. Sadly, a few weeks later, Bill Gordon was lost in a Spitfire whilst engaging 109s over the Sussex coastline on September 6th. His aircraft this time was Number X4036 code: AZ-G.
The waters that tumble through Shanklin Chine are fed from the hillside where the Messerschmitt crashed. In the latter part of the war, a pipeline was laid from this chine, through which petrol was pumped across the English Channel, to supply the allied forces.