Whitley P4957 at Dishforth airfield.

This aircraft was in the process of taking off for an operational flight to bomb an oil manufacturing plant at Bremen on the night of 17th/18th May 1940, as the aircraft was picking up speed on the take-off at 20.06hrs run a member of the crew accidently knocked the undercarriage select lever to retract. The starboard undercarriage slowly began to rise as the aircraft picked up speed and by the time the power realised and stopped the aircraft it had come to rest on the starboard wing and had swung around to face the intended direction of travel from Dishforth.

Pilot - S/Ldr Desmond Patrick Hanafin RAF (33087), uninjured.

Second Pilot - Sgt D W Green RAF, uninjured.

Observer - Sgt J Shaw RAF, uninjured.

Wireless Operator - LAC J Thompson RAF, uninjured.

Air Gunner - AC Stanley Oldridge RAF, uninjured.

Desmond Hanafin was awarded a Prize Cadetship following successful examinations in November 1931 for entry to RAF Cranwell while studying at Beaumont College, Old Windsor. He completed the course at Cranwell and was granted a permanent commission as P/O with effect and seniority of 16th December 1933. He was serving with 10 Squadron by September 1935 when a photograph of him with the squadron appeared in Flight Magazine but was posted elsewhere before returning to 10 Squadron at a later date. He was promoted to F/O on 16th July 1935 and F/Lt on 16th July 1937. He married in Marylebone, London in 1938. He was awarded the DFC for servive with 10 Squadron, Gazetted on 13th September 1940. He rose to W/Co (temp) on 1st September 1941. W/Co (war subs) on 2nd June 1945 then to W/Co on 1st October 1946 and later to G/Cpt on 1st July 1953. He was also awarded the Air Force Cross, Gazetted on 1st January 1944 and was granted a CBE on 31st May 1956.

He rose to the position of Commanding Officer of the Experimental Flying Department at RAE Farnborough in 1958, as position he held until retiring from the RAF in early 1963. He died in Surrey in 1982.

Sgt Green was still serving with 10 Squadron in July 1940 when he was flying Whitley P4952 when it was hit by flak on Ops to Dusseldorf but was able to return to land at Leeming safely.
Stan Oldridge is credited as being the first Bomber Command rear gunner to shoot down an enemy aircraft, done so on the night of 27th/28th May 1940. Nothing more is known about him.
Whitley P4957 was built to contract 75147/38 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd. at Baginton and was awaiting collection on 21st April 1940 and was delivered to 10 Squadron a few days later. Cat.M/FA damage was recorded following the incident detailed above in May 1940 and the aircraft was repaired on site and returned to the unit. On 11th June 1940 the crew were probably the same as recorded above, the aircraft was struck by lightning on Ops to Turin which injured the hand of Sgt Thompson, the pilot landed safely at Guernsey which was being used as a forward base. No damage to the aircraft was seen and the crew flew back to Dishforth the following day. It was again slightly damaged, by flak on 2nd July 1940 in its tail and the pilot (again S/Ldr Hanafin) was able to return to base where repairs were carried out and again slightly damaged by flak on 20th/21st September 1940 and landed at Cold Kirby. It was destroyed (Cat.W/FB damage recorded) on 30th October 1940 when it flew into high ground on return from Ops to Wilhelmshaven. The aircraft struck moorland three miles from Slaggyford, Northumberland and thankfully the crew all survived.