Remembering the bravery of American pilot who saved lives of Whitnash people in Second World War

In the run-up to the 75th anniversary of VE Day a Whitnash man is reminding people of the heroics of an American bomber pilot whose actions saved the lives of townspeople towards the end of the Second World War.
By Oliver Williams
Published 5th Mar 2020, 16:19 GMT
Updated 11th Mar 2020, 14:00 GMT
A previous Leamington Courier article about Lt Anderson's heroics during the Second World War.A previous Leamington Courier article about Lt Anderson's heroics during the Second World War.
A previous Leamington Courier article about Lt Anderson's heroics during the Second World War.

As a 16-year-old boy during the war, Stephen Cox's late father Gerald was a witness to the incident on April 26 1945 in which Lt Jean Anderson of the US Air Force managed to divert the Liberator bomber he was piloting away from houses in Whitnash before being killed in the crash landing in open countryside nearby.

The rest of the crew, who had been on a mission to drop propaganda leaflets, had bailed out when the aircraft iced up but Lt Anderson had stayed at the controls to ensure no civilians were killed when the bomber came down.

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Gerald had been among those who tried to pull Lt Andreson out of the burning wreckage but to no avail.

A previous Leamington Courier article about Lt Anderson's heroics during the Second World War.A previous Leamington Courier article about Lt Anderson's heroics during the Second World War.
A previous Leamington Courier article about Lt Anderson's heroics during the Second World War.

Later in his life and as a historian, Gerald campaigned to have the pilot's bravery recognised and this came about in 1984 when Anderson Drive was opened in the then newly-built South Farm estate - 100 yards away from the crash site.

The ceremony was attended by Lt Anderson's brother.

Stephen said: "My two brothers and I are extremely proud of my father and passionate about Whitnash, particularly as we have a road in the town named in his honour - Cox’s Orchard.

"Had circumstances been a little different on that fateful day, he may have even saved the pilot’s life."

Related topics:American