Do335-12 [RP+UB] 240112, Cove Junior School , Hampshire ,12th January 1946 , RAE Farnborough

A work trip to the south to Cove gave me the chance to visit the crash site of a very unusual plane.

At the end of fighting in WW2 Europe, allied forces had been finding many weapons and technology and set about evaluating them and seeing what they could learn. One such weapon was the Do335 a push puller type of aircraft only a very few were captured by American forces in the factory was a Do335-12 trainer [RP+UB] 240112, this plane was to have gone to the US but British Intelligence worked a deal for 10 FW190's and the plane was picked up and flown to RAE [Royal Aircraft Establishment] Farnborough, Hampshire in September 44 for test flying.

At 11.30am 12th January 1946 the now recoded AM223 Do335 taxied out for its 3rd flight since its arrival, at the controls was the commanding officer of Farnboroughs Experimental Flying, Group Captain Alan Frederick Hards,DSO. The plane took off watched by test pilot Captain Eric 'Winkle' Brown who had trained Group Cpt Hards on the 335 and this was Hards first solo.

Half an hour later Brown saw the plane returning to the base but he also saw it was trailing smoke from below the rear engine, it is unknown if Hards knew of the fire as it would have been next to impossible for him to have seen anything of the rear of the plane. Hards entered the circuit and turned for the duty runway but sadly the fire must have burnt through the tail controls as the aircraft dropped suddenly, impacting a field behind Cove Junior School bouncing and hitting the headmasters house and damaging the school buildings, thankfully only 12 on the ground were injured as the school on that day had 300 children in classes and they were just about to break for lunch. The Do335 was completely destroyed and Group Captain Hards was found in the upper bedroom beyond help he was recovered and taken back to RAE Farnborough.

 At the site today the school still stands and still serves the local juniors, the headmasters house was demolished after the crash and nothing can be seen to remind anyone of a sad but also very lucky day