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<\/a><\/p>\nPercy with his horses at Actons<\/strong><\/p>\n Percy Wilson, originally from Langley in Essex moved to High Wych from Sawbridgeworth in 1938 with his wife Beryl and children. There was twenty years between the oldest and the youngest child. Percy had found work as a horse keeper with Wilfred Mynott at Actons farm and accommodation for his family in a cottage next to the farm.\u00a0 By 1941 the oldest Wilson child,Raymond was away in North Africa fighting with Montgomery\u2019s eighth army, and two of the older girls were \u201cin service\u201d. Father Percy was indeed excused military service because of the farm work he did.<\/p>\n On the 21st of January the weather was awful. There had been snow recently which prevented the children from going to school. The clouds hung low when father Percy left for work. He had to take a cart with two horses and a load of manure over to Great Pennys, a farm just up the road. The idea was to meet a fellow worker from that farm, Ken Clarke, who was coming towards him, exchange carts and then return to their respective farms. As they met, two thirds of the way between Great Pennys and Actons, at 11.45 that morning, bombs were dropped from a German aircraft.
\nThe aircraft was one of a convoy that had set out that morning in order to bomb Cambridge.\u00a0 After the failure of the Blitz, the nazis engaged in the infamous \u201cBaedeker offensive\u201d and\u00a0 targeted cities of cultural importance literally picking them from a tourist guide.\u00a0 Baedeker is of the course the name of Germany’s best known travel book series. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Because of the bad weather however the pilots turned back and, as they often did, dropped their bombs \u201cjust anywhere\u201d in order to lighten their load and get home more quickly. It just happened to be in our parish, on that particular road, at that particular time.
\nThe bombs fell on and exploded right beside the two farm workers and their horses. Ken Clarke lost his hearing as a result but poor Percy Wilson came off worse. Several pieces of shrapnel pierced through his body causing severe injury. The horses were also hit by shrapnel and although Mr Wilson was badly injured he was still most concerned for the animals under his care. Eventually an ambulance came and he was taken to the Herts and Essex hospital at Bishops Stortford. There,three days later at 6.20 in the afternoon Percy Wilson died from his injuries. Two of the horses meanwhile had to be put down.<\/p>\n<\/a>Percy’s fate made a great impression\u00a0 ion High Wych locals, not least\u00a0 those living and working at Actons.\u00a0 Young Chris Mynott,\u00a0 son of\u00a0 farmer Wilfred, the owner, fifteen years old at the time recorded it in\u00a0 his diary, see above and below.<\/p>\n<\/a>This left Percy\u2019s widow Beryl on her own with the task of bringing up the children. She found herself without a place to live. Luckily alternative accommodation was offered to her by the Buxton family, then owners of the big house at the Manor of Groves. There were vegetables from the garden and every now and then a rabbit. Eventually Beryl remarried. After the war, together with her new husband she moved into bigger and better accommodation in Mansfield. Beryl\u2019s new husband was the local postman and a widower himself with a young son. That son, Colin, would eventually marry one of the Wilson daughters : Mary.\u00a0 Colin and Mary were\u00a0 together for 58 years. Sadly Mary (nicknamed Pixie) passed away in November 2013.<\/p>\n