On the night of 3rd / 4th September 1940 the crew of this 10 Squadron aircraft were tasked with bombing power, transformer and switching plants in the Berlin area, they left base at around 20.44hrs. Because of 10/10th's could over Berlin they found identifying the target difficult and bombed a searchlight site in Berlin with one bomb and later released the rest of their bombs on an aerodrome south of Berlin. The aircraft was subjected to heavy flak and a piece of shrapnel damaged the Whitley's windscreen. The pilot, who was the squadron's commanding officer, was able to return safely to Leeming and land without further damage being sustained in the early hours of the following morning. The aircraft was later repaired and the same pilot was flying it two weeks later when it was again damaged on Ops on 20th/21st September 1940.
Pilot - W/Co Sydney Osborne Bufton RAF (24184).
Second Pilot - S/Ldr McNair.
Observer - Sgt George Edward Bessell RAF (581013).
Wireless Operator - Sgt Arthur Cowie RAF (620467).
Air Gunner - F/O Kenneth Montague Bastin RAF (75168).
Sydney Bufton rose to the top command structure of the RAF, he was born 12th January 1908 in Llandrindod Wells, Powys, Wales and attended London University before working at Vickers. He received his commission in the RAF 16th December 1927 (seniority 9th December 1927) to P/O on probation. He was confirmed in the rank of P/O exactly a year later and rose to F/O on 9th June 1929, F/Lt on 1st April 1933, S/Ldr on 1st October 1937, W/C (temp) on 1st June 1940, G/C (temp) on 1st September 1942, Acting A/Cdre on 10th March 1943, G/C (war subs) on 10th September 1943, W/C on 1st December 1943, G/C on 1st January 1946, A/Cdre on 1st July 1948, Acting AVM on 1st September 1952, and finally AVM on 1st January 1953. Having learnt to fly at 4 FTS in Egypt he was posted back to England in 1929 to 100 Squadron at Bicester. As a young man he had been a Welsh International Hockey player (1931–1937) as well as playing for the RAF and the Combined Services. In 1939 he Was working at the Air Ministry and was posted to France with the RAF's Advanced Air Strike Force supporting the British Expeditionary Force. He returned to England in June 1940 and in July 1940 was posted to 10 Squadron at Leeming. He was awarded the DFC for service with 10 Squadron, Gazetted on 22nd November 1940 but no citation has been located. In April 1941 he was posted to 76 Squadron and in June 1941 posted to be Commanding Officer of Pocklington airfield. In November 1941 he was appointed to Deputy Director of Bombing Operation at the Air Ministry and in March 1943 he was appointed to Director of Bombing Operations at the Air Ministry. It was he who came up with the idea of The Pathfinder Force which later was re-named No.8 (Pathfinder) Group. Having survived the War a number of decorations came his way. He was awarded the Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) on 1st January 1945. The US decoration; the Legion of Merit (Commander) on 9th October 1945, ON(C)s on 18th November 1947, FRAeS in 1970, and the High Sheriff of Radnorshire in 1967. In July 1945 he was posted to command the RAF in Egypt, in December 1946 he took charge of the tactics wing of the Central Bomber Establishment, in November 1948 he was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff (Operations/Plans) Air Forces Western Europe and in January 1951 he became Director of weapons at the Air Ministry. In 1953 he was appointed to command all British forces in the Aden Protectorate. In 1955 he became Senior Air Staff Officer at Bomber Command and then in 1958 was appointed assistant Chief of Air Staff (Intelligence) before retiring from the RAF on 17th October 1961. In civilian life he became managing director of Radionic Products, an aerospace company and in 1967 appointed to High Sheriff of Radnorshire. He died on 29th March 1993. The photograph of him shown above was found in Flight Magazine archives.
Kenneth Bastin was born in London in 1913, he was granted a commission to the rank of Acting P/O on probation on 8th October 1939 and was graded as P/O on probation soon after on 13th November 1939. He was confirmed in the appointment and was promoted to F/O on 13th November 1940. As Acting F/Lt and while serving with 76 Squadron he was awarded the DFC, Gazetted on 2nd September 1941 and was promoted to F/Lt (war subs) on 13th November 1941 and was later granted the rank of S/Ldr (war subs) on 6th October 1943. He survived the War. Tom Williams published a biography of his uncle's career entitled "Gunnery Leader". He later become a chief instructor for trainee air gunners and gunnery leaders and this culminated in his assuming command of the Gunnery Leader Wing of Central Gunnery School, a position he held until leaving the RAF at the end of the war. He died in Sussex in 1987.
Arthur Cowie was later awarded the DFM for service with 10 Squadron, Gazetted on 9th May 1941. He received his commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 17th May 1941 and was promoted to F/O (war subs) on 17th May 1942. He was later posted to 199 Squadron and was the Squadron Gunnery Leader by 13th February 1943 when he was killed on Ops to Lorient in Wellington X3870 which crashed in the target area. He was twenty five years old and is buried in Guidel Communal Cemetery, Mornihan, France. His rank on the CWGC is F/Lt so it is assumed that he was in the rank of Acting F/Lt when he died and the rank was granted in death. His wife lived in Low Fell, Gateshead, Co.Durham.
George Bessell was probably born in London in 1916, he was Mentioned in Despatches on 1st January 1941 and was later awarded the DFM for service with 10 Squadron, Gazetted on 5th August 1941. He ended the War a PoW though no details of how this came about are known. He probably died at Southend on Sea in 1999.
S/Ldr McNair's full details are not yet known, he could well have been one Crawford Blair McNair. S/Ldr McNair appears to have only flown one operational flight with 10 Squadron and given this was with W/Co Bufton he may well not have been a regular "airman" and flying operationally on this night for an un-known reason rather than in his usual role in the RAF. I would welcome information to suggest S/Ldr McNair's correct identity.
Whitley P4994 was built to contract 75147/38 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd. at Baginton and was awaiting collection on 15th May 1940. After a period of MU storage it was taken on charge by 10 Squadron based at Leeming in July 1940 as a replacement for P4964 "ZA-U" which was transferred to 78 Squadron at Dishforth. It was slightly damaged on Ops on 3rd/4th September 1940 as detailed above but was soon repaired and back with the squadron to be damaged again on Ops on 20th/21st September 1940. On 22nd December 1940 it crashed at Leeming and Cat.W/FA(burnt) damage was recorded and the aircraft was written off.
This aircraft appears incorrectly listed amd muddled in more modern publications as being Whitley P4944, P4944 was built to contract 75147/38 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd. at Baginton and was awaiting collection on 9th April 1940. In theory it was taken on charge by 10 Squadron later the same month. I would infact have to doubt if this was ever the case at all and was it infact held in MU storage until being issued to BATDU at Boscombe Down (Blind approach Training Development Unit). On 30th October 1940 BATDU was re-designated WIDU (Wireless Intelligence Development Unit). In 1941 it was taken on charge by 10 OTU at Abingdon and coded "-A". On 25th June 1942 it was used in a thousand bomber raid to attack Bremen and lost without trace, Cat.E(m) damage recorded and its crew of five killed.