The girls behind the Nettlestone Guns and a new? Me 109e & two Spitfires taking shape on the Isle of Wight Plus Icarus WW2 Diary

 

Here is this month's Treasure Discovery:

Edna Warner - 1943 corporal A.T.S.

But,...Perhaps there's something sinister:
Is history being re-written?


Whilst at an art and craft show, I met a young man who's aunt Edna was, in 1943, one of the girls on the radar predictors of the Nettlestone Gun Battery on the Isle of Wight. As I have done a painting and story-sheet about what must be the most incredible ack-ack shot of all time, which was delivered by those guns, I asked to be put in touch with the lady. I am pleased to say that not only did I receive her address and phone number, but a wad of photos pertaining to that particular action. This is really exciting to me as, since publishing my work, I have been somewhat dismayed to find that our historians are trying to deminish the part played by the Nettlestone Battery. Here follows my account of what "really" happened. This is most certainly backed by Edna's experience and the thousands of eyewitnesses.

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In the early evening of the 16th August 1943, three Messerschmitt 109Gs were on a reconnaissance mission over Portsmouth, southern England. They were at around 36,000 feet and considered themselves so invincible at that height, that once they had turned for their base, they maintained a steady, straight course and speed. Their sunlit contrails were clearly visible against a clear summer sky

The homeward flight took the bandits over Ryde on the Isle of Wight where, as in many other towns within and without a ten mile radius, crowds had gathered to watch their progress.

A couple of miles to the south east of Ryde, the Nettlestone Battery was preparing its new 5.25 inch heavy ack-ack guns and the girls of the A.T.S. were concentrating on the latest radar predictors. Although many other ack-ack guns were firing, Nettlestone took a cool calculated aim and fired a salvo of four shells. The fourth hit the middle Messerschmitt fair and square and it disintegrated, scattering its parts throughout fields of the Isle of Wight. On that evening, there were thousands of witnesses and great cheers went up. I remember seeing the flaming fuel tank and engine sear a trail across the sky. It was one of my earliest memories for I was only four years old.

In October 1943, General Sir Frank Pile visited Nettlestone and presented medals to the gun crew.

NOW, ... The latest historical publications are trying to say that it was not a well aimed ack-ack shot but two high-flying Spitfires which dispatched the enemy aircraft. Their argument is apparently that inspectors of the wreckage, supposedly identified bullet holes. They are saying that the contemporary reports of a wonderful shot, were merely propaganda designed to lift public morale. No doubt the eyewitnesses who all declare that no other planes or contrails were in the sky at the time, were all subject to mass hysteria and imagined it. My own brother who is thirteen years my senior, saw the action and went out the next day to discovered both wings which he categorically states were in pristine condition and had only broken off at the roots.

I have discovered press reports of that evening which mention another enemy aircraft which was intercepted by British fighters and fell into the sea near Portsmouth. My argument is that this was the aeroplane bagged by the RAF and not the German reconnaissance high flyer.

Hit this link to view my painting and read an extract from the story-sheet entitled
"The Nettlestone Guns' incredible seven mile shot"