'Great one' returns to scene of his finest moment
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A SCHOOLBOY who diverted a plane seconds before it crashed into his school, wiping out a generation of local children, has returned to the primary 70 years after the ordeal.
Current pupils at Alves Primary sat in awe as 76-year-old Norman Taylor recalled the day in 1942 when his well-tuned hearing saved the lives of more than 30 youngsters.
Mr Taylor was just seven when, sitting in class, he could hear that a WWII bomber was in trouble and heading straight for the building.
“I knew there was something wrong with that plane, I had distinctive hearing.
“So I got out of my desk, ran to the window, opened it and started waving my papers.
“All the other children saw me and did the same, waving their jotters, so the pilot was able to see that it was a school and managed to veer away to the right towards nearby farm buildings,” he recalled.
Youngsters learned that during the war years, pupils practised an emergency drill every Wednesday which involved mustering outside with allocated emergency tools.
That came in handy as the young Norman and his classmates rushed to the aid of the crew, trapped in the blazing bomber further down the A96.
“There was a difficulty getting though the aeroplane door so Mr McCallum (the teacher) gave me instructions to use my axe and cut above the handle so the door could be unlocked.
“We were then able to get the pilots out,” he said.
However, Mr Taylor then dashed back into the burning plane to get the gunner out, only to be berated for his “foolhardy behaviour” by Mr McCallum on his safe escape.
“He gave me several slaps and shook me, wanting to know why I had done what I did, saying that I could have been hurt or worse.
“At that moment the uninjured pilot, who had regained consciousness, told him to stop and that according to the rules of war, I was under his control. Then he handed me a tissue to dry my eyes,” he said.
“It was in the proceedings of heading back to the school that Myron, the local bobbie, tapped me on my shoulder and told me that because of what I had done, I would be known as ‘The Great One’.”
Tragically, although the pilot was able to avoid the school, an old lady was killed when the plane took off the gable end of a nearby farmhouse before coming to rest in the field. A number of crew were also thought to have died.
During the war years, there was about 130 aircraft crashes in Moray alone.
The experience is one of a number of remarkable tales that Mr Taylor has shared in his book ‘At the End of the Day’, published by George Mann publications and available in local bookshops.
Mr Taylor lives in Hampshire but travelled home to Moray to mark the anniversary, believing it important to remember the events and to share them with today’s generation.
“All the children seemed to love it. I am proud of what I did, yes, because it could have been a very different story,” he said.
Alves head teacher James McLeman said the school was delighted to welcome Mr Taylor back to the building.
“It was a privilege for the pupils, parents and staff of Alves Primary to have former pupil Norman Taylor visit the school, to share his book and what it was like when he attended Alves Primary,” he said, adding that it was a particular treat to have Mr Taylor recount the “heroic events” of 1942.
