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Impossible Flight

In late July 1941 Bill Corfield was seventeen years old; his brother Jimmy was home on leave from the RAF. Jimmy was 24 years old and, like many older brothers at the time, a father figure to his younger brother. Being a pilot officer in the RAF, Jimmy was also Bill's hero figure.Bill's ambitions were very clear. He said to Jimmy, 'I want to be a pilot like you.' Perhaps he was a little disappointed at his brother's reply: 'No, you haven't got the temperament. You stay on the ground and get a ground job in the RAF.' It was only later that Bill realised Jimmy was all too well aware of the horrific loss of life of RAF air crews and was trying to put his younger brother off so dangerous a career.

On 12 August 1941, the day before his 25th birthday, Jimmy flew with some 44 Blenheims on a low-level raid across the North Sea, across Holland and into Germany where the aim was to bomb two factories just outside Cologne. This was to be a big daylight surprise attack, encouraged by Stalin who had asked Churchill for a dramatic gesture designed to halt the confidence of Hitler's march into Russia. Jimmy had with him an observer and a wireless operator/air gunner, both named Williams though not related to each other. All wartime military operations were of course dangerous and daylight raids often more so than most; on the way back the Blenheims were attacked both by ack-ack from the ground and by German air fighters. Twelve Blenheims were lost, including Jimmy Corfield's plane.

It was some two weeks later that a German patrol found the bodies of Jimmy and his crew washed up at the northern end of Texel Island, just off the Dutch coast. Many bodies lost in the North Sea were washed up there; it was something of a 'focus point' of tides in the area. Bill was shattered but if he thought that his relationship with his older brother was over he was mistaken. One decision, however, was taken there and then with finality and determination: Bill would be a pilot.Bill was posted to No. 28 Elementary Flight Training School (EFTS), at Wolverhampton.

This was the only EFTS in England at the time since most airfields were 'operational'. Bill went on to Service Flying Training School at Cranwell where he got his 'wings'. He was then posted to an Operational Training Unit on Wellington bombers and then on to Lancasters. Bill had achieved his ambition, inspired by his brother Jimmy, and had become a pilot. In 1945 the war ended and Bill had to decide on his post-war career. He went to Transport Command to fly Dakotas and there qualified for the equivalent of a civilian pilot's licence, which would have enabled him to fly on BEA or BOAC (the forerunners of British Airways).

Bill, however, decided on a different flight-path and was posted to No. 1 Ferry Unit at Pershore. It was during his tour of duties at Pershore that Bill was to once again 'meet' his brother. On 12 January 1947 Bill had to fly an Anson 19 twin-engine aircraft to Singapore. After stops in Paris and Italy, Bill was on the leg of the journey that would take him to Athens; being a small aircraft fuel was critical and it was important therefore to check prevailing weather conditions and soon.

According to the weather forecast the flight looked promising; unfortunately, after reaching the point of no return, the point at which you need the same amount of fuel to go on or to turn back, they ran into a severe thunderstorm. The storm forced the plane down to about 50 feet above sea level, to have flown any higher would have risked the plane being broken up from buffeting in the storm clouds. They were now flying low, in a sky darkened by storm clouds, and in very severe weather conditions.

In poor visibility they missed the islands in the Ionian Sea off the Greek coast when suddenly all three (Bill, his navigator and wireless operator), who were all up front in the plane, saw the coast approaching. Bill banked the plane to port and flew along the coastline. The coast was rocky and Bill decided that if no beach presented itself then he would have to ditch in the sea, an option which frankly carried a high probability of death or injury.

Suddenly the navigator announced, 'There's the Corinth Canal,' and instinctively Bill dived into the jaws of its opening. (Afterwards he admitted that he didn't know why he did it, and on reflection decided that the decision was 'suicidal', but he was following his instincts.) Inside the canal all the crew noticed the extraordinary peacefulness and silence that enveloped the plane. One of the crew said it was like being 'in a sort of cathedral'.

Bill says T knew - absolutely and without a doubt - that my brother was with me in the aircraft. It was as natural as I am talking to you now. There was nothing physical, but he was there.' This was a highly emotional moment; never before or after did Bill experience his brother's presence so intensely and of course there was the added emotion of the terrible danger they were in. Bill relaxed his hands, allowing his brother to 'take over' the controls rather in the manner of automatic writing received by sensitives and mediums.

They flew down the Corinth Canal for around four miles in the dark and came safely to the other end; then the 'presence' of Jimmy left. Even at this stage they noticed one strange thing; normally the aircraft could not fly dead straight in such violent storm conditions, it would be buffeted. However, during 'Jimmy's flight' the compass did not waver in the slightest, the plane was apparently flying absolutely straight.

Even after leaving the Corinth Canal the dangers were not over; fuel was extremely low, visibility was still non-existent and they still had no clues as to where to make for. On instinct (or with Jimmy's help?) Bill suddenly 'knew' when to turn, and did. Sure enough, ahead were the lights of Athens - and safety. The plane touched down and the port engine ran out of fuel even as they were taxiing to a stop.

The following day the authorities made clear their opinion of the crew's story. 'You did not fly down the Corinth Canal,' they said. They were assuming that the crew had diverted to drop off smuggled coffee or some such item, which was in fact quite common practice just after the war. The reason that they 'knew' the plane could not have flown down the Corinth Canal was that its walls were only just wider than the wing-tips of the aircraft (a seventeen foot clearance) and even in good weather the flight would be all but impossible; in a storm there was really no practical possibility whatsoever. As Bill put it, 'At that moment I knew that I could not possibly have flown through the canal with only that [clearance] either side of the wing span.' Of course Bill had not flown the canal. But Jimmy had! Norfolk | Phantom Airfield | RAF | Suffolk |