Page 719 - Reading Mercury

Mrs. Miles, mother of Councillor Sidney Miles, took over the licence of the
Leathern Bottle in 1925 on the death of her husband, Mr. J. Miles, who was formerly
Sgt. Instructor O.T.C. at Wellington College, and came to Wokingham in 1909.
The funeral
The funeral and internment took place on Monday at St. Paul’s Church, the Rev.
P.H. Hepburne-Scott officiating.
The mourners were Cllr. S.J. Miles and Mr. F. Miles (sons); Mrs. M.L. Miles
(daughter-in-law); Mr. G. Vickers and Mr. H. Hester (sons-in-law); miss B. Powers;
Mr. C. Lovick; (uncle); Mr. C. Lovick (cousin); Cllr. and Mrs. Jaycock; Mr. and Mrs.
A. Frost; Ald. P. sale; Mr. Walter Frost; Mr. William Frost; Miss E. Fry; Mrs.
Marshall; and many others.
Wreaths were received from the following:
(List of mourners etc)

th
Fri 26 Feb
FARMER’S SON COMMANDS SPITFIRE SQUADRON
Wokingham Fighter Saved a Bomber Crew
Farmer’s son, John Stewart Fifield, of Pike’s Farm, Bill Hill, Wokingham is now
the squadron leader and commander of a Spitfire squadron in Fighter Command.
He joined the R.A.F.V.R. in 1938 when he was 21, after being an apprenticed motor
engineer, and then assistant manager of an electrical service station.
Since those days he has spent nearly a year in the arduous task of training other men
to fly and fight, but, like all fighter pilots he likes best to be in the air “taking a crack
at the Hun.”
He had an adventurous time during Dieppe when he was attacked and shot down by
four F.W.190s. That was his third trip over Dieppe. He baled out and was rescued
after only 20 minutes in his dinghy.
Recently he figured in the “rescue” of a Halifax bomber which was in trouble in bad
weather and with small hope of making a safe landing. As dawn came with the
Halifax heading across the channel in a desperate effort to make the English coast,
two Spitfires were being warmed up at a Fighter Command aerodrome in the south.
One of the Spitfires was S/Ldr. Fifield. The other was that of one of his flight
commanders. When he realised that the bomber was in difficulties, the flying control
officer at the Spitfire aerodrome asked for fighters to be sent off. Fifield and his flight
commander went.
Squadron Leader Fifield’s story of the search for the bomber is: “When we took off
at dawn there was thick cloud at 1,000 feet and while he was flying with me my flight
commander’s instruments froze up. The next thing he knew he was breaking cloud
and diving for the sea at 300 or more miles an hour. He rejoined me as the bomber
was crossing the coast.
When I saw the Halifax it was only about 300 feet above the water and the pilot did
not seem to be aiming at any particular place. I flew in front to guide him and I
waggled my wings to indicate my intention. The bomber pilot waggled the wings of
his Halifax. But the effort was almost too much, for the bomber lost about 100 feet of
height and I thought for a moment that it was going to hit the water. I put my flaps
down and throttled back and the Halifax was able to keep up with me.
I imagine the bomber pilot had been conserving his remaining engines because he
had climbed back to about 500 feet by the time we crossed the coast. Visibility was
pretty bad but we found our aerodrome all right. Every time the bomber went into a
wide circuit and the pilot, obviously, could not see the landing ground. So I orbited

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