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World War Two / Re: WWII Death: John Charles Butler of Owny Villa, Aberporth
« on: Saturday 11 May 13 17:49 BST (UK) »
Hello,
I came across your enquiry by accident and hope I can answer some of your questions regarding John Butler, Owny Villa. I am a resident of Aberoprth since 1925 and have an interest in local history.
John Butler's father was transferred from an MOD Establishment in Kent (Fort Halstead?) to the PDE (Projectile Development Establishment) at Aberporth. The PDE later became an outstation of the Royal Aircraft Establishment Farnborough. He brought his wife, son and daughter Joan with him an rented Owny Villa in the village of Aberporth.
In 1941 one of the experiments being carried out at the PDE was the firing of multiple rockets being fired at the same time, at a certain height a cannister released a 6ft dark blue silk parachute trailing about 2,000 ft of piano wire with a 3ft parachute at the other end. These were fired out to sea when the wind was offshore. On this occasion the wind veered and brought the parachutes back over the village where one wire trailed over the electric cable and down the path from the road to the beach. It had become game with locals to try and capture one of these parachutes before the resident soldiers (101 Z Battery) got hold of them. John Butler ran down the path into the coiled electrified wire and was killed instantly. A local girl Mair Davies was also burnt by the wire, though she is alive and well to this day. This particular experiment was immediately terminated.
I worked at the RAE Aberporth for 35 years and during that time came across 10 of these cannisters
with coiled piano wire in thick grease in an old dump.
I remember being invited in to Owny Villa to view John Butler in his coffin, the family must have moved back to Kent I do not remember a funeral and there is no record that he was buried at Aberporth
I came across your enquiry by accident and hope I can answer some of your questions regarding John Butler, Owny Villa. I am a resident of Aberoprth since 1925 and have an interest in local history.
John Butler's father was transferred from an MOD Establishment in Kent (Fort Halstead?) to the PDE (Projectile Development Establishment) at Aberporth. The PDE later became an outstation of the Royal Aircraft Establishment Farnborough. He brought his wife, son and daughter Joan with him an rented Owny Villa in the village of Aberporth.
In 1941 one of the experiments being carried out at the PDE was the firing of multiple rockets being fired at the same time, at a certain height a cannister released a 6ft dark blue silk parachute trailing about 2,000 ft of piano wire with a 3ft parachute at the other end. These were fired out to sea when the wind was offshore. On this occasion the wind veered and brought the parachutes back over the village where one wire trailed over the electric cable and down the path from the road to the beach. It had become game with locals to try and capture one of these parachutes before the resident soldiers (101 Z Battery) got hold of them. John Butler ran down the path into the coiled electrified wire and was killed instantly. A local girl Mair Davies was also burnt by the wire, though she is alive and well to this day. This particular experiment was immediately terminated.
I worked at the RAE Aberporth for 35 years and during that time came across 10 of these cannisters
with coiled piano wire in thick grease in an old dump.
I remember being invited in to Owny Villa to view John Butler in his coffin, the family must have moved back to Kent I do not remember a funeral and there is no record that he was buried at Aberporth