Page 20 • The HERALD • 9th October 2025 v SAY YOU SAW IT IN THE HERALD v WHY CHOOSE US? With over 25 years of experience in the building trade, we offer quality workmanship, competitive pricing, and provide unparalleled customer service. We offer a complete service and can provide expertise in all aspects of the construction industry. We are fully insured and a member of the prestigious Federation of Master Builders. SERVICES PROVIDED: • Extensions and new builds • Roofing and carpentry • Renovations and remodelling • Bathroom and Kitchen installation • Landscaping and Hardscaping • Project management • Building Maintenance And many more…….. We take great pride in all of our work and strive to make your building experience hassle free and enjoyable. Let us make your building dreams a reality and experience the difference with M G Webber Building and Construction Limited. Mike 07554 007203 • Mgwebber44@gmail.com PJ-T DOUBLE GLAZING REPAIRS • Misted Units • Locks • Handles • Hinges • Door Adjustments/Repair • Cat Flaps Paul Jackson-Turner 07708 620910 pjtrepairs65@yahoo.com uPVC & Aluminium Free Quotes Fully Insured TJD Dry Carpet Cleaning Professional, friendly & reliable service 9.98 rated on Checkatrade Dry Carpet Cleaning Wet & Low Moisture Carpet Cleaning Upholstery & Leather Cleaning Hard Floors Tel: 07709 291466 www.tjddrycarpetcleaning.co.uk The New Forest Pond That Marks the Spot of a Tragic Accident by Marc Heighway Marc hosts monthly local history talks, visit: nfhwa.org/events On a quiet autumn a ernoon, sixty-six years ago this month, the peace of the New Forest was shattered when a Royal Navy prototype jet dived into woodland at Busketts Lawn, near Lyndhurst and Ashurst. e Blackburn Buccaneer hit the ground with such force that it le a twelve-foot crater and claimed the lives of both men on board. e day in question was 12th October 1959, and the horri c crash came at a time when the Buccaneer project was at the cutting edge of global aviation. e aircra had been designed to meet a demanding Royal Navy speci cation for a new strike jet capable of lowlevel attack against Soviet targets, should war come. With a top speed of over 600 mph and the ability to carry 8,000 pounds of weapons, it was a formidable machine and an incredible piece of British engineering and innovation. By 1959, several prototypes were ying. During tests, the new jet aircra had shown no serious problems, and a major production contract had just been signed. American interest in the Buccaneer was also strong. Through the Mutual Weapons Development Programme, the US sponsored a series of test ights, as it had no equivalent aircra in its own eet. e Buccaneer’s fatal ight was the third of six scheduled under this arrangement. At the controls that fateful day was William Lewis Alford, a highly respected NASA test pilot with more than 7,000 ying hours. Alongside him sat British flight observer John Godfrey Joyce, an ex-RAF pilot who had been working on the Buccaneer project for more than a year. A routine radio call reported shortly before the crash, where Alford was heard to say “10,000 feet, descending VFR.” Minutes later, witnesses in Lyndhurst and Ashurst saw the jet plunge steeply into the ground. Both men ejected, but far too late to survive. In fact, one of the men ejected whilst the aircra was upside down. Neither of them stood a chance. Investigators later concluded that Alford had exceeded his brief by attempting to y on a single engine at low speed – a condition not yet trialled by Blackburn. e Buccaneer stalled, entered a spin, and crashed inverted into the forest. Local forester Geo rey omas described seeing a plane falling before hearing a dull explosion. Following the smoke, he reached the scene to nd wreckage strewn across the woods and the body of one of the crew. Fire crews from Eastleigh, Lyndhurst and Totton soon arrived, recovering the second man. e violence of the impact le a scar that remains to this day. e crater was partially made safe with earth being tipped into it, then gradually lled with water. It is now a small pond, fenced o deep within Busketts Lawn. Although the loss of this individual aircra and two men was a tragedy, the Buccaneer project continued. It entered service with the Royal Navy and later the RAF, remaining in frontline use until the 1990s. And this month, nearly seventy years later, the pond at Busketts Lawn is a quiet reminder of the day the New Forest bore witness to a Cold War aviation tragedy. Pond at Busketts Lawn in 2023 Buccaneer e Autumn 2025 – Summer 2026 season of productions by the award winning theatre group, New Forest Players (NFP), kicks o with Waiting for God by Michael Aitkens, created from his hit television series. is acclaimed comedy will run from 29th October to 1st November, to be hotly followed by the family-friendly pantomime Snow White scripted by Ben Crocker with matinee and evening performances from 27th – 30th December. Into February 2026, NFP are o ering something very di erent with Liv Hennessy’s new play Vardy v Clooney, e Wagatha Christie Trial, an event very much in the media spotlight recently. April’s production is the hugely popular comedy A Bunch of Amateurs co-written by Ian Hislop and Nick Newman. e 2025-2026 season wraps up in July with Worst Wedding Ever by Chris Chibnall - ‘hilarious’ is an understatement! Five great o erings from New Forest Players all being performed at the Ballard Performing Arts Centre in New Milton. Full details of productions, joining the group and other information can be found on their website: www.newforestplayers.com New Forest Players Announce New Season Programme
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