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Description
A compass taken from the wreckage of the Heinkel III crash in Newport, dated 13 September 1940. The German Heinkel bomber, which was returning from a mission near Liverpool, hit a barrage balloon cable over the town of Newport, and lost control, striking another balloon cable as it fell further, rapidly gaining speed towards the home of the Phillipses - a well-respected and beloved Jewish family - without any warning. Only one member of the crew parchuted out of the craft, the other three were lost in the crash. The parents were able to escape the wreckage by climbing out of their bedroom window using bed sheets, but the two children Malcolm and Myrtle, who were sleeping on the ground floor for safety, were sadly lost in the fire. A headstone for both children was built at St Woolos Jewish cemetery to honour them and their bravery, in such a devastating and unpredictable event.
The navigation system's compass is rusted with age, but otherwise still intact.
Sources:
https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/13408747.Read_how_a_German_bomber_crashed_on_a_Newport_street_killing_two_teenagers/.
Depository: Newport Museum and Art Gallery.
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