h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I am David Harvey the author of 'Mi Amigo'- The Story of Sheffield's Flying Fortress.

For the last two years I have not been able to attend the annual memorial service, however I shall be attending the forthcoming memorial service in Sheffield in late February 2007.

I will be deighted to meet with anyone who will be attending, and answer any questions from the many people who I know will be there.

My book 'Mi Amigo - The Story of Sheffield's Flying Fortess' has been out of print for many years, however I still have a few copies avaialble should anyone still require a copy.

In the meantime I will be delighted to hear from anyone who has fallen under the spell of 'Mi Amigo'. Please feel free to contact me via my email address: [email protected]

regards

David Harvey

Hi David

Some coincidence, finding you here right now!

Unfortunately I have to go out and look at kitchen furniture, so my lovely wife tells me.

I'll post more later. Have a look around here. There's some good stuff!

See you later

Mick Steeper (Pin)

Hi Mick,

I've just picked up your email, I didn't expect anyone to see me email so quickly.

Drop me a email when your ready.

David Harvey

I'm in the process of arranging a site meeting at St. Augustine's church hall. Unfortunately my work rota gives me little opportunity to meet with the reverend to discuss details concerning the exhibition of my 8th Army Air Force collection on the morning of Sunday 25th February. But hopefully this will be resolved in the next few weeks.

Jonathan

Hi Pin
I have just come across your well-researched article on the fate of 'Mi Amigo' This is an event for ever etched in my memory as I was one of the first eye-witnesses at the crash site - in fact, one of those children "shoo-ed away" . I was about 14 at the time and cyling home after leaving school. For some reason I did not go by my usual route but decided to detour via Endcliffe Park. During the war the "Holidays at Home" Campaign ensured that Endcliffe Park became a magnet for we youngsters - fairs, freak shows and fairy floss were there in abundance. On my journey home I was cycling down Rustlings Road, which skirts Endcliffe Park, when I heard the sound of a plane flying in from an easterly direction. I had no idea then that it was in trouble and thought the pilot was flying dangerously low. It quickly disappeared behind the treetops - then suddenly there was a muffled bang and a large cloud of black smoke rose high in the air. I rushed to the scene at top speed and ran up the hill to where the Flying Fortress had crashed. I was there about ten minutes after the crash but a few others, mostly children, had got there before me. The police and fire brigade had not arrived at this stage and I stared with horror at what I beheld. The bomber, though badly crumpled was fairly intact and I was not aware of any fire within the fuselage, nor did I hear any voices crying for help. I saw that one member of the crew had been thrown clear. From a distance he appeared to be intact. I ran to him to see if he was still alive. When I reached the body I was horrified to find that he was headless -nothing more than part of his spine projected beyond his shoulders - no sign of his head anywhere. This was the first dead body I had ever seen. I could see that only a few moments before he had been a young man full of life. I felt the utmost compassion as I thought of what his death would have meant to his family.
Shortly after this encounter, the authorities arrived, the area was cordonned off and we were advised to leave the scene. I had already seen more than enough and rushed home to tell my story to my mother.
For some reason we all thought that this Flying Fortress was crewed by Canadians. It was only when I was in correspondence recently with an old classmate, who had read my account on my school's website, that I learned the true story. He lived at Greystones which was not far from the crash site. It was he who referred me to the web entries on 'Mi Amigo' After nearly 5 years of war this was an everyday occurence and nobody at school ever talked about it. I left Sheffield only 2 years later and eventually finished up in Australia. It was only when I googled "Mi Amigo' that I realised that the citizens of Sheffield had not forgotten the courage and humanity of these young men who sacrificed their lives to save others.
I don't think I have been able to add much to what is already known but I will be pleased to correspond by email if you think this worthwhile. My email address is

Regards, Hugh Smailes

Thanks for posting, Hugh.
What a shocking experience it must have been.

Your recollections would greatly interest David Harvey. Have you contacted him? Would you mind if I put you in touch? Would you like a copy of the book?

Sorry to have taken so long to reply
I have not contacted David Harvey as I thought I had little to add to what is already known. I would be delighted if you could put me in touch with David if he is interested in my recollections.
I would like a copy of the book. I live in Australia - if this is a problem the book could be sent to a relative in UK

Regards Hugh

Hi Hugh
Australia's no problem. I've enough work-colleagues who are travelling there to post locally.
Just give me an address (either postal or e-mail) in this thread and I'll yikes the posting to remove it once I've picked it up. If you prefer e-mail, we can then use that for a postal address.
I'll copy the address you give to David Harvey too. If you want to contact him directly, his own e-mail address is included in his Posting at the top of this thread.
(He's an infrequent visitor to h2g2, note).
Pin