There is a field now far from the Westbury White Horse

That used to be a wartime airfield

Angela and I would climb a tree next to the railway line

And watch the bombers as they took off heavy with their payloads

The field is still there but it is no longer an airfield

But the scars of the returning bombers still scar its grassy soil

 

Angela Tree

I am in Buenos Aires visiting Angela Tree

She lives in Argentina now

After the war she married her doctor

And left Westbury for good

The air is good for her scarred lungs

I told her time and time again

Not to watch the bombers without me

But she was wilful and sat in the Angela Tree when I was away

When the bombers collided she inhaled the noxious fumes

And coughed up blood for many weeks

I did not think that she would live

But the Argentinian doctor and his staff saved her

Later they married and for the sake of her health

Moved to the country of his birth

She is strong but her health is fragile

And because of this she cannot fly

I have brought many photographs of the town with me

 

The Angela Field

Why have you never moved from Westbury

I have never had occasion to

You have travelled far

Were you never tempted?

Often but Westbury is my home

I am sad that my health does not allow me to fly

Often I look at the sea and think that this sea runs into other seas and those seas run into rivers and rivers run into the English counties

I often travel and look at the sea and think of you here in Argentina

I miss our tree is it still there?

No it was damaged after the collision and stood for a few more years before a storm finally blew it down

What a lovely tree it was

I often walk my dog through the Angela Field and think of our childhood years watching the bombers

And climbing up to the White Horse

Is it well?

Very

It is much loved

As with many things it was neglected for a while and then restored

Mr Paul spread his daughter’s ashes up there a few years ago

Do you remember Gladys Paul?

Yes she was a small fat girl who found it difficult climbing up to the horse

She died quite suddenly in a grocers shop in the town

It was a hot day and she told Mrs Greaves that she felt a little dizzy

They offered a her a chair to recover in the back parlour and when they returned poor Gladys had passed on

It was typical of Gladys she did not want to burden anyone

Poor Gladys

Do you see many of our childhood pals?

A few but most have moved on

I should have done so

But the view of the horse and the plains seduces me each time I return to Westbury

I wish I could return with you and walk the fields of our home town

The Old Town Hall is now a run-down Pizza shop

Is the town dying?

Yes and no

Parts of it are decrepit but there is so much life elsewhere

Do you often go to the library?

Frequently

And is the railway station still as far from the town as it always was?

Yes nobody has thought to bring it nearer

Is the early May light still as luxurious on the hills as it was when we were children?

Probably better

And the field

With the exception of the tree it is very much the same

If you look carefully you can still see the scars of the accident

Occasionally where I am there I meet Canadians who lost fathers and sons on that dreadful day

They speak to me and take great interest when I tell them of our tree

I tell them that you witnessed the accident and for some reason this brings a sense of peace to them

I cannot really explain the emotion but because you were there and survived it brings closure

It is a pity that I will never see Westbury again

But my lungs would not tolerate air travel

Last one to the tree is a pudding

Be careful Angela

Do not fall

Do not be a Gladys

Roger show some spirit

Where do you think the bombers are going?

To Germany

I hope they all return

They will as they will want to see you again

Waving to them

From the Angela Tree