In England, on the February 14th 1953, the Wiltshire Times newspaper published this letter::
Sir, I wish to express my horror, and I am sure that many hundreds of other people living in Chippenham, Melksham and the villages of Lacock and Sandy Lane at the crashing of one of the World's largest atom bombers.
The machine flew for 30 miles or more over countryside with no one in it. We can be thankful that it did not carry any atom bombs, and we can also be thankful for a little place called Nethernore (sic) Wood, Lacock, where it came down without causing any loss of life. Let us just try and think what would have happened if the machine had crashed in the middle of one of our towns and villages, which it quite easily could have done.
I wonder what the pilot and crew were thinking when they bailed out over Oxfordshire - or was it Berkshire? Was it - to hell with everyone else - I'm all right?
I wonder whether any of our British boys would have done such a thing? Somehow, I don't think so. I am quite sure that Mr. Pegg, the test pilot of the Brabazon, would not have left his machine quite like this if he had been in trouble in the air. I also wonder what the people would say if I or any of their fellow workmates in the cause of our duty as public servants, were to jump from the cab of one of our buses with a full load of passengers on a skiddy road.
I sincerely hope that no secrets were taken from the plane before the American Air Force arrived, as we are told some of the plane's equipment is on the secret list.
However, all's well that ends well, with no thanks to the American crew.
W. A. Whittock