A Pilot's Life Is Saved
On the morning of 7 August 1941, Lance Corporal Gordon Cowell of the 5th Royal West Kent Regiment, 12th Battalion, was putting up railing defences in Sandwich, Kent.
In the distance he could see a Spitfire coming over the Channel towards the coast, losing altitude fast. The plane had been shot up by a Me109 over France. Unable to keep the plane up any longer, the pilot crashed it through the railings, landing in a minefield and setting off a mine. The wingtips ignited.
L/cpl Cowell, followed by his sergeant, William Chick, headed towards the minefield. People were standing by the railings, shouting, 'don’t go in there, you'll get blown up,' but the only thought they had was to reach the stricken pilot and get him out.
They reached the smouldering plane, and after a struggle with the pilot's straps, got him out of the cockpit. The soldiers could see his leg was badly injured. They carried him back over the minefield and when they got back to the railings, the Spitfire blew up. They hoisted the pilot over the railings to the helpers on the other side, who laid him on the beach until the ambulance came. L/cpl Cowell and Sergeant Chick were awarded medals for their bravery
Why I Chose This Topic:
I chose this topic a it is a resemblance of heroism as many people who saw that man would just stand their and let him die while these two brave men actually put their life on the line and ran through a mine field where if they stepped in the wrong place they would be killed also it shows their dedication to the country they served and the dedication they have for other people even the ones that they don’t know. These men were not trained highly in removing or avoiding mines this was a high risk that they would die.
By Giorgio B.
On the morning of 7 August 1941, Lance Corporal Gordon Cowell of the 5th Royal West Kent Regiment, 12th Battalion, was putting up railing defences in Sandwich, Kent.
In the distance he could see a Spitfire coming over the Channel towards the coast, losing altitude fast. The plane had been shot up by a Me109 over France. Unable to keep the plane up any longer, the pilot crashed it through the railings, landing in a minefield and setting off a mine. The wingtips ignited.
L/cpl Cowell, followed by his sergeant, William Chick, headed towards the minefield. People were standing by the railings, shouting, 'don’t go in there, you'll get blown up,' but the only thought they had was to reach the stricken pilot and get him out.
They reached the smouldering plane, and after a struggle with the pilot's straps, got him out of the cockpit. The soldiers could see his leg was badly injured. They carried him back over the minefield and when they got back to the railings, the Spitfire blew up. They hoisted the pilot over the railings to the helpers on the other side, who laid him on the beach until the ambulance came. L/cpl Cowell and Sergeant Chick were awarded medals for their bravery
Why I Chose This Topic:
I chose this topic a it is a resemblance of heroism as many people who saw that man would just stand their and let him die while these two brave men actually put their life on the line and ran through a mine field where if they stepped in the wrong place they would be killed also it shows their dedication to the country they served and the dedication they have for other people even the ones that they don’t know. These men were not trained highly in removing or avoiding mines this was a high risk that they would die.
By Giorgio B.