© Philip Harvey; no reproduction without permission, please.
Account of Mr. Gerald Winch
Mr Winch was formerly a farmer of Hill Farm, South Ockendon, Essex.
On the afternoon at about 3 pm during the Battle of Britain - it was previous to the Saturday when the big air-raid hit Purfleet (7th) Thameshaven and London. I was tractoring a field on a hilltop called Oozey 9 (nine acres) above the Mardyke. A Spitfire came in and crash-landed with a lot of dust behind some big Elm trees onto a meadow area of Stifford Clays Farm, but I did not see the final impact. I did not go over to investigate. I intended to, as soon as I got to the end of tractoring the field, but within minutes I could see a motor cycle going down the track which passes Stifford Clays farmhouse, towards the crash area. So I did not bother - it was not anything very unusual at that period.