Air crash of De Havilland Rapide at Wallington.
I remember this incident extremely well, although I can not put an accurate date to it, other than to say it was 'post war' 1940s and I believe on a Sunday.
I then lived in Foresters Close, off Foresters Drive which flanked the western boundary of Croydon Airport. A De Havilland Rapide passed over our house after take off'. Looking out of the rear window of my parent's house I saw it descend, then a rising plume of black smoke.
The report of the crash was headline news in the National Press. The pilot, the only person on board, had tried to land in Stafford Road and could well have done - very little traffic in those days - had it not been for hitting the trolley bus wires as he nursed his stricken plane down. These slewed him towards a church which, from memory, had a full complement of children within. He then hit a dwarf wall, outside a garage, which slewed him again directly into a large tree separating him from the wall of the church.The plane exploded on impact, setting the tree alight and killing the pilot. The church wall was totally blackened by the heat but remained intact. Those the other side were in no way affected.
The front page news reports told the story of the 'miracle' tree, preventing a multitude of deaths and had pictorial drawings showing the descent, slewing and final impact.