Turning Points - Bill Nelson, author of ‘A Miracle on Djouce'
On this episode of Turning Points, Patricia Killeen welcomed Bill Nelson. Born in Dublin, Bill spent most of his career in the aviation industry and was based in France for many years. Today, he divides his time between Le Frêche in southwest France and Ireland. For the past 30 years, Bill has devoted himself to an extraordinary passion—one that brings together his love of France and Ireland, aviation, writing, and communication. In 1946, a Junkers 52 aircraft carrying 21 Girl Guides and its crew, from Paris to Dublin crashed into Djouce Mountain in County Wicklow. What should logically have been a devastating tragedy became a remarkable miracle: everyone on board survived. In 1995, a historian and writer presented Bill with a small piece of the wreckage from the Junkers aircraft. To mark the 50th anniversary of the crash, Bill wrote an article for the Wicklow Times. He explains how that single article forged an extraordinary and enduring connection between people in Ireland and France—a bond that continues to this day. Now, with the support of the Wicklow County Council Heritage Department, Bill has written a bilingual commemorative booklet, A Miracle on Djouce, to mark the 80th anniversary of the crash. The booklet will be launched at Wicklow Library on 18 August. A passionate writer, Bill has authored plays and numerous articles for The Irish Times and the Wicklow Times. He also gives lectures and interviews on the remarkable Djouce story and its lasting legacy. https://billnelson.ie/ https://heritage.wicklowheritage.org/topics/a-miracle-on-djouce-1946-80th-year-anniversary