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I was Aged 13 in 1943 and kept a logbook of aircraft that I saw mainly where I lived. This was South Norwood SE25, part of Croydon. I was a member of Croydon Spotters Club SC404. We met in a wooden hut where The Peggy Ashcroft Theatre now stands. I also cycled to a few aerodromes within easy reach and recorded some of the more interesting aircraft when the security guards weren't looking! One of the most fascinating for a wildly enthusiastic young spotter was in May 1944 when I was near Farnborough. I recorded a twin engine jet. Jets were unheard of then. I watched it take off and land and frantically made sketches of it. It was highly secret of course. I was actually witnessing the final trials of the Meteor before it went into service against the V1 Doodlebugs a few months later.
I also recorded the first of the V1s to be launched against this country on June 16th 1944. We had about 150 crash in Croydon in the three months before we overran the bases in Holland.