Beschreibung:

Blenheim Bomber Crash. An eyewitness account of a Blenheim Bomber crash near Oxford, 1940, described in an 11-page autograph letter by the artist Peter Robert Russell White (1921-1985), in pencil on six leaves of lined blue paper, describing in detail the event leading up to the crash of the Bomber near Bagley Wood, and the immediate aftermath of the crash and his assistance to the injured aircrew, with an annotated drawing on page 2, a little creased where folded, together with two associated letters and items by White (and his sister Pat) which also recount the story as well as the cleaning up of the crash site and a visit from an RAF officer afterwards, both similarly written in pencil on lined blue paper, 8 pp. and 6 pp. respectively, all 8vo (Qty: 4) The letter (written to his parents) starts with his description of the stricken plane in trouble, followed by a description of the crash scene and the three aircrew who had been thrown from the aircraft. He describes the condition of both the men and their machine, as well as their words to him. Young White asked one of the men who was lying next to the aircraft whether it was safe, to which he replied yes. However Peter was shocked to later find out that the aeroplane was fully fuelled and armed, and could have blown up at any time. The Blenheim crashed 150 yards from White and he was the first person on the scene. The experience affected him throughout his life. His hand-drawn notebooks and diaries were sold by Christie's on 6 June 2007 (lot 120) and the crash is noted in the description there.