David Denchfield's story

(Interview by Pippa Carr and Laura Dowse.)

David Denchfield, soon after his capture             Germans inspect David Denchfield's crashed plane

by German forces in February 1941

One of our most compelling and detailed accounts of wartime experiences comes from David Denchfield, who was a pilot during the Battle of Britain and later a prisoner of war.  David was interviewed by Pippa Carr and Laura Dowse, and has also provided written material on his experiences.  In his interview, he recalled the day the war began, and what it meant for him as a member of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve:

 

We were told that we could pack in our day time jobs. That was the (best) day of my life. On the day that war was declared, mother phoned to say it was on. I started packing up my desk and my boss was suddenly all excited. He said, “Mr Denchfield, what are you doing?” “I’m packing my desk up.” You can’t do that until I tell you to.” I said, “If you stand there in 5 minutes time and you still see me it will be a miracle. I’m off home and I’m now under the control of the RAF.”

  

His written account describes his experiences of being shot down over France:

 

Over the next few minutes the radiator and oil temps showed a gradual but steady rise, and I found the cause of the petrol smell, nearly 20 gallons of fuel were sloshing about in the belly of the fuselage under my feet…. My thought was that she'd never reach the Channel and I wasn't about to try to put her down - not with all that petrol washing around, ... I decided to stand on the seat and then kick the stick forward to throw me out, but my planning came to naught. A most expensive sounding noise came from up front, accompanied by darkish smoke and jets of flame, and as I started to stand, letting go of the stick, dear old 'P' helped me to the last. She threw her nose violently down and I shot up and out like the cork from a bottle!

Read more from David Denchfield here.