Whitley N1470 at Linton on Ouse airfield.
On the night of 4th / 5th August 1940 58 Squadron supplied aircraft for an operational order to bomb oil plants near Sterkrade. In total five of their aircraft took part in the order. All five returned to Linton on Ouse safely. Whitley N1470 was not part of the five aircraft that completed this operational order.
There is an AM Form 1180 for 58 Squadron Whitley N1470 dated 5th August 1940 that states it received minor damage whilst taxying at Linton on Ouse during the operational flight when one of the main wheels broke through a hole that was covered in railway sleepers and the aircraft was slightly damaged. It does not record whether this incident took place prior to taking off or after landing. N1470 or the named pilot did not fly operationally with 58 Squadron that night so it cannot have been damaged on landing on 5th August 1940. Therefore I presume that the damage occurred prior to taking off and the date should actually be 4th August 1940. A note on the AM Form 1180 questions whether the incident occurred prior to take off or after landing suggesting someone reading this around the time of the incident also questioned everything recorded on the form.
Pilot - S/Ldr Michael Hallam DFC RAFVR (34195).
Michael Hallam was in the RAF as far back as 1934 when he was granted a commission as P/O on probation on 3rd March 1934. He flew with 7 Squadron in 1935 and was confirmed in the rank of P/O in the same year. He rose to F/O on 3rd November 1936 (and a posting to 78 Squadron at Dishforth early in 1937) and then rose to F/Lt on 3rd November 1938. He transferred to the RAF Reserve of Officers on 3rd April 1940. As Acting S/Ldr Hallam was awarded the DFC at the end of July 1940 for service with 58 Squadron (although no citation has been located by this researcher). He rose to S/Ldr (temp) on 1st July 1940 (but notified later in September 1940) and to W/C (temp) on 1st March 1942. He survived the War and served in the Reserve until relinquishing his commission on 29th September 1956 retaining the rank of W/C.
Whitley N1470 was built to contract 75147/38 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd at Baginton and was awaiting collection on 29th December 1939. It was first passed into MU storage until being issued to 58 Squadron at Linton on Ouse in March 1940 when the unit converted from Whitley MkIII's to MkV's. It sustained flak damage on Ops on 16th / 17th May 1940 and after the crew were able to return to Linton the aircraft was repaired on site and soon returned to the unit. On 4th August 1940 it was slightly damaged while taxying at Linton on Ouse, Cat.M damage would have been as bad as any damage assessment got and it was repaired on site and returned to the unit. Later in the year on 24th September 1940 it crashed near Youlton, about a mile north of Linton on take off for Ops to Berlin with three of its then crew being killed.