Captured a German Airman on the Farm

Here, in her own words, is the story of a woman who, when told that one of the crew of a plane shot down by British fighters had landed by parachute near her home, rose valiantly to the occasion, captured and disarmed him, and later handed him over to the police.

The Heroine of this stirring episode is Mrs Nora Cardwell, wife of an officer in the Local Defence Volunteers of a district on the North-East Coast. Her pluck and presence of mind were honoured within 24 flours by the award of the Medal of the Order of the British Empire, Civil Division. When told of the award Mrs. Cardwell remarked: I am beginning to think I was very foolish and that if I had had time to think I should have retreated. I thought that if the man had got into the house he might pull himself together and show a fight. My one idea was, now or never. Here is Mrs Cardwell's account of her experience:

Here is Mrs Cardwell who captured a German Airman after he had landed by parachute on the East Coast on July 9th British fighters had sent his machine crashing down.​

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One of my farm men came to the door and said some German parachutists were coming down. I went to the telephone but found it was out of order. I told a boy to go on his bicycle for the police. But in the meantime I had to do something. We had been told that we had to deal with these parachutists very quickly before they had a chance to do any damage.

I went out into the garden and saw the airman limping across the paddock towards the house. There were two or three people about, but they did not do anything, so I walked up to the man and told him to put his hands up. He did not understand until I made signs and he then raised his hands in the air I pointed to the automatic pistol in his belt and he handed it to me.
He was about 6 ft. 3 inch tall and about 25 years of age. I walked with him in front of me to the road. We waited for about half an hour before the police and soldiers arrived and took him away.

The tail of the Airman's plane, you can see that the tails Swastika is riddled with bullets.​

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