Very little is yet known about this individual. The most likely identity for Robert Hutchinson, was the he was the son of Robert William and Beatrice Anne (nee Lawson) Hutchinson and who was born in the Hexham disrict of Northumberland in early 1923. The family appear to have later moved to Blyth, Northumberland. Nothing is known about his early life or RAF training, he was almost certainly posted to No.1679 Heavy Conversion Unit as a lone air gunner and joined F/O Hatfield's crew as mid upper gunner. He survived the events of 16th / 17th December 1943 without injury.
He married Margaret Chase in the Bulmer district of Yorkshire in late-1943. It is likely that he had married while stationed at East Moor as this falls within the Bulmer District. His wife is recorded in the CWGC database as living in Croxley Green, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire when they compiled their records.
Sgt Robert Hutchinson was still serving with 432 Squadron on 14th January 1944 when he was killed flying in Lancaster DS850 on Ops to Braunschweig. The aircraft sustained serious damage over the target area and the order to bale out was given but Sgt Hutchinson did not survive. He was still only twenty years old and is buried in the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany. My thanks to Mr Graham Sharpe for the photograph of his gravestone.