Test pilot's crash tale to be told on TV

Jun 29 2007 By Tony Deeley, Birmingham Mail

A "HUSHED-UP" Second World War plane crash escape by one of Britain's Spitfire heroes is to be featured in a TV programme.

Alex Henshaw, who was the chief test pilot for Spitfires at a factory in Castle Bromwich during the conflict, crash-landed the plane at Wednesfield but walked away almost unscathed.

Gail Downey of Red Admiral Productions, which is making a programme for The History Channel and ITV about the incident, today appealed for people with memories of it to get in touch.

Gail said the crash happened on July 18, 1942 in the garden of 468, Lichfield Road, Wednesfield.

"Amazingly Alex Henshaw walked away unscathed apart from a few cuts and bruises and no-one in the house was hurt either," she said. "In his book, he tells how he tried to hide the bruises from his wife, Barbara, who worried about his work as a test pilot.

"She saw the pictures some years later and was horrified as she didn't realise what had happened to him."

Gail said her production company had pictures of the crash, which was not reported in the newspapers at the time because of security issues during the war.

The company wished to talk to anyone who remembered it.

"This may be a youngster who saw the plane crash or the aftermath, the people who used to live in the house and or any of the emergency services at the time who came to help," said Gail.

"We would very much like to include their memories in the film and would need to talk to them in the next week or so."

Gail can be contacted on 0181 653 31111 or by her email at gail.downey@redadmiral.com.