Whitley P4952 hit by flak, returned to Dishforth airfield.
On the night of 17th/18th May 1940 the crew of this aircraft were tasked with bombing an oil storage plant near Bremen and left base at 20.04hrs. The aircraft made a number of passes over the target in what was described as being very good weather, the bombs were dropped on the target and a direct hit was observed but very heavy flak was encountered over the target and a shell burst just below the aircraft's starboard wing and aileron and shrapnel penetrated the fuselage. The aircraft remains controllable and the pilot was able to make a safe return and land at Dishforth at 04.44hrs without further damage and the aircraft was later repaired. The pilot was commanding officer of 10 Squadron at the time. For his actions in returning Whitley P4962 to base he was awarded the Bar to the DSO. The citation for his Bar to the DSO gives more information on this incident.
Pilot - W/Co William Ernest Staton RAF, DSO, MC, DFC & Bar (04225), uninjured.
Air Observer - Sgt Mathers.
Navigator - F/O Prior.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - LAC Broadhurst.
Rear Gunner - AC Davie.
By the outbreak of War in 1939 he reached the rank of Wing Commander and was awarded the DSO and was also Mentioned in Despatches on 20th February 1940. The Bar to the DSO was Gazetted on 7th June 1940, the citation reads..
"This officer has continued to display outstanding gallantry and leadership in recent air operations. One night in May 1940, he led an attack on the
oil depot at Bremen. The target was very heavily defended and difficult to identify owing to the exceptional number of searchlights but, after worrying
and misleading the defences for an hour, he dived and attacked from 1,000 feet to ensure hitting the target. His aircraft was hit by six shells, the last
one of which did considerable damage but he succeeded in reaching his home base. Wing Commander Staton organises and leads his squadron on all new tasks
with constant courage and his work on his station is magnificent."
He was later posted to the Far East afew months before the Japanese invasion of Malaya. He was forced to surrender in Java and spent the remainder
of the war in captivity, showing great courage in standing up to the extreme cruelty of his captors. He was later Mentioned in Despatches for
his service whilst a Prisoner of War. He retired from the RAF as A.V.M. on 12th November 1952 and died on 22nd July 1983.
William Staton was born on 27th August 1898, he served with the Army in WW1 was attached to the DFC and was one of the founding members of the RAF in April 1918.
He was awarded the DFC on 21st September 1918, the Bar to the DFC on 3rd December 1918 and the Military Cross Gazetted on 22nd June 1918 and the citation for the latter reads... "For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. On one occasion, when on offensive patrol, he, by the skilful handling of his machine and accurate shooting destroyed two enemy aeroplanes and brought down a third out of control. In addition, during the nine days previous to this, he had destroyed five other enemy machines, two of these being triplanes. The services which he has rendered have been exceptionally brilliant, and his skill and determination are deserving of the highest praise."
The rear gunner may well have been one Alexander James Davie RAF (620056) and if so was promoted to the rank of F/Sgt by 30th June 1941 when he was killed flying with 35 Squadron when Halifax L9499 on Ops to Kiel. He was twenty three years old and from Aberdeen.
The "Navigator" was probably a qualified pilot, F/O Garfield Wallace Prior RAFVR (37611), of Indian Head, Saskatchewan, Canada. He was born in Indian Head, Saskatchewan in 1914. He joined the RAF in the mid-1930s and was appointed to a commission on 2nd March 1936, taking the rank Acting P/O on probation and was later posted 97 Squadron. He was posted to 10 Squadron on 15th September 1939. He transferred to the Reserve on 6th January 1940 but was immediately called up for service on that date. On 5th August he aircraft was bombing of the aircraft factory at Weismar. Very heavy anti-aircraft fire was experienced, and the aircraft was damaged by shrapnel in the front turret, but no member of the crew was injured. F/O Prior was awarded the DFC on 22nd October 1940 but no citation for the award has been found. He also rose through the ranks, rising to S/Ldr and was reported missing on 23rd November 1943 flying Stirling EF180 but his date of death is recorded on the CWGC database as being on 22nd January 1944.
Whitley P4952 was built to contract 75147/38 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd. at Baginton and was awaiting collection on 15th April 1940. It was delivered to 10 Squadron based at Dishforth in the same month during the units conversion from Mk.IV Whitley's. Cat.M/FB damage was recorded following the flak damage as detailed above and the aircraft was repaired on site and returned to the unit. It moved with the unit to Leeming on 8th July 1940 and was again damaged by flak on 21st July 1940 on ops to Dusseldorf and the pilot was again able to make a return to Leeming. It was again repaired on site and returned to the unit. On 21st September 1940 it was slightly damaged by flak on Ops and was soon repaired at base. On 15th October 1940 it sustained Cat.W/FB damage on return from ops to Stettin, short of fuel and lost it was abandoned safely at 05.02hrs over Bellingham, Northumberland.