In Episode 4 recorded in June 2024 on the 80th Anniversary of D-Day we record from Keevil Airfield formerly RAF Keevil. RAF Keevil was an essential part of the Allied war effort. After the bombing of the Southampton Spitfire factory production in September 1940 that killed 110 people and the taking of his own life of the proprietor of the factory for not having listened to the War Ministry, changes were made by Lord Beaverbrook. That meant that production of the Spitfire moved inland to Reading, Newbury, Salisbury and Trowbridge.

RAF Keevil was chosen as it was simple to drive to Southampton and it was close to Trowbridge. Having been designed in the late 1930s it was commissioned at speed on a 237 hectare plot three miles from Trowbridge affording the transport on Queen Mary trailers of fuselages, complete with their unattached wings, to a purpose built hanger at Keevil. Where the planes were assembled and then flown out via the Air Transport Auxillary of the RAF.

The unsung heroes of WW2 and the Allied war effort.

Listen in to myself and my son William (aged 10) who is a aviation buff and history addict as we tell the story of the bit of the war you didn’t know about and maybe it’s overdue you took notice of.

Remembering the 80th Anniversary of Operation Overlord with a reflective episode remembering a different set of events eighty years ago this week in a corner of Bath.

This is a historic recording with former RAF Flying Officer Arthur Steel, veteran of RAF Coastal Command. Sadly Arthur passed away in November 2024 six months after recording this show, and this is now an online legacy record of a very brave man who was one of the few. This recording was made possible by his amazing daughter Sheila. We will be releasing an even longer version of the show with additional audio Arthur took time to commit to digital archive.

This is now, an extremely important piece of aviation history, Arthur’s words now committed forever to the podcast universe.

Some historical background

On the 20th July 1944 Arther and his crew member and pilot Flt Lt Anthony (Tony) Adams (service number 86654) were flying on a mission to Norway as part of a squadron active sortie when their plane, a Bristol Beaufighter TFX NE225 developed engine failure in the port engine. Tony attempted to wrestle control of the failing plane and unable to maintain altitude or elevation, the plane descended into a fast vertical dive. Hitting the North Sea and disintegrating on impact, an impact now known to have happened at 320mph.

This was one of the rarest occasions in RAF operational history where a crew member in a plane hitting the water at such an incline and also such a hostile velocity, actually survived.

Arthur, awakening underwater, injured and trapped in the wreckage managed to pull himself free and make his way to the surface with very serious injuries. He was later picked up by a Grimsby based trawler whose captain was awarded the MBE and the crew mate who jumped into the sea with a rope tied round his waist to rescue Arthur given the National Humane Association award for bravery.

Arthur survived, with seven months in hospital and able to rejoin but not in a flying capacity saw out WW2 first in an Intelligence role and then working to resettle and help returning airmen coming from theatres of war across the globe. Sadly Tony Adams was killed in the crash and his body was never recovered and he is remembered on the Runnymede Memorial along with his illustrious comrades. Arthur talks lovingly and with pride about Tony and his guilt at having survived the crash when Tony was not so fortunate. The poignancy is raw.

This is Arthur’s story in his own words. Recorded on the 28th April 2024 in Weston Super Mare, UK, six months before he passed away peacefully aged 107 years old.

This is your chance to hear a genuine historic archive.

This is for Sheila, and the rest of Arthur’s family with love from Christopher, William and myself