On the night of 13th / 14th October 1942 the crew of this 10 Squadron aircraft were tasked with flying an operational flight to bomb Kiel and left their base of Melbourne at 18.44hrs. They released their bombs from 12,000ft at 21.23hrs and encountered heavy and accurate flak over the target. The aircraft was also hit by cannon shells. The flight engineer's compartment was hit and the flight engineer sustained injuries to his hands, left shoulder and thigh. Several fingers on his right hand were shot away. The crew were able to make a safe return and landed at Melbourne at 00.48hrs where upon the flight engineer was taken to York Military Hospital.
Pilot - S/Ldr Archibald Ian Scott Debenham RAFVR (70167),
Flight Engineer - Sgt Anthony John William Wilkinson RAFVR (962732). Injured.
Second Pilot - P/O James Wilfred Murphy RCAF (J/9664).
Navigator - P/O Norman Hugh Walker RAFVR (116419).
Bomb Aimer - Sgt Ronald Bertram Carpenter RAFVR (1291451).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - P/O Paul Sidney Warren RCAF (J/8436).
Air Gunner - Sgt Kenneth John Patterson Holmes RAAF (405736).
Air Gunner - Sgt Victor Gardner RAF (627184), of Harrogate, North Yorkshire.
Anthony Wilkinson was born on 16th August 1917 in London. In 1942 his faher was living at Bishop Stortford, Hertfordshire.
Archibald Debenham received a commission to the rank of P/O on 16th March 1937. He was promoted to F/O (on probation) on 3rd September 1940 and to F/Lt on 3rd September 1941 but with seniority of 3rd September 1940. He was posted to 10 Squadron from 102 Squadron in July 1942 and as Acting S/Ldr he was promoted to command B-Flight of 10 Squadron in September 1942. He Mentioned in Despatches on 2nd June 1943 and was awarded the DFC for service with 10 Squadron Gazetted on 12th November 1943. He received promotion to S/Ldr (temp) on 1st January 1943 and later to S/Ldr (war subs) on 10th April 1944. He was Mentioned in Despatches again on 1st January 1945.
James Murphy was made a PoW to days after this flak incident when on the night of 15th / 16th October 1942 he was flying as second pilot in Halifax W1058 on Ops to Cologne, the aircraft appears to have been badly damaged over Germany and the pilot instructed the crew abandon the aircraft. F/O Murphy was one of five who survived to become PoWs while the pilot and two others were killed.
James Warren was also posted to 10 Squadron from 102 Squadron in July 1942, the 10 Squadron ORB stated that he was posted to 466 Squadron on 7th November 1942 which would have been just after it formed at Driffield but the 466 Squadron ORB does not list him arriving there nor did he fly with them during the first few months after becoming operational. He was certainly posted to 35 PFF Squadron in 1943. On 4th October 1943 he was flying on board Halifax HZ148 when it was badly shot up by flak over Germany, the pilot was able to bring the aircraft back to England but it crashed near Biggin Hill and he was seriously injured.
Norman Walker was also posted from 102 Squadron to 10 Squadron in July 1942. He received a commission on 4th April 1942 and was promoted to F/O on 4th October 1942. He was awarded the DFC for service with 10 Squadron while in the rank of Acting S/Ldr, Gazetted on 11th February 1944 and was Mentioned in Despatches on 1st January 1945. He must have been promoted to F/Lt on 4th April 1944 but the entry in the London Gazette has not been located. Post-war he remained in the RAF and finally relinquished his commission on 8th April 1954.
Ronald Carpenter was also posted from 102 Squadron to 10 Squadron in July 1942 and he was awarded the DFM for service with 10 Squadron, Gazetted on 14th September 1943. He received a commission on 12th July 1943 to the rank of P/O on probation (149832) and later received promotion to F/O on 12th January 1944 and F/Lt on 12th July 1945. He remained in the RAFVR at least until 1951 when he extended his period of service.
Victor Gardner was also posted to 10 Squadron from 102 Squadron in July 1943. He was also awarded the DFM for service with 10 Squadron, Gazetted on 10th August 1943. He was later posted to 156 Squadron and killed on 31st March 1944 flying on board Lancaster ND466 on Ops to Nurnburg when the aircraft was shot down by a night-fighter and crashed in Germany. WO Gardner is buried in Berlin War Cemetery and was thirty years old.
Kenneth Holmes was born on 3rd January 1916 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He was living and working in Amberley, Queensland when he enlisted for RAAF service on 25th May 1941 in Brisbane. On arrival in the UK he completed his training and was posted to 10 Squadron on 2nd August 1942. he briefly served with 77 Squadron from 24th April 1943 but returned to 10 Squadron on 27th May 1943 until 31st August 1943. He was awarded the DFM for service with 10 Squadron, Gazetted on 12th Novembr 1943 and the citation mentions the incident in October 1942 in which Sgt Wilkinson was injured, the citation reads.. "F/Sgt Holmes has, throughout his tour of operations, displayed a fine fighting spirit and although he has had many harrassing experiences, he eagerness to participate in operational flying remains undiminished. On several occasions his aircraft has been damaged by anti-aircraft fire and attacked by enemy night-fighters and on one occasion the flight engineer was severely wounded. When during an attack on Le Creusot, his aircraft was attacked by night fighters, F/Sgt Holmes played a large part in the destruction of one of the hostile aircraft. A skilful air gunner, his cheerful confidence and efficiency have alwats been highly commendable." He received his commission to the rank of P/O on 6th August 1943 and was later promoted to F/O on 6th February 1944 and F/Lt on 6th August 1945. After his time with 10 Squadron spent the rest of the war as a gunnery instructor in Australia. He left the RAAF on 9th January 1946.
Halifax DT546 was built to contract B.982938/39 by English Electric Co.Ltd., at Samlesbury. It was taken on charge by 10 Squadron at Melbourne on 5th October 1942. It sustained Cat.Ac/FB battle damage on 14th October 1942 that saw it repaired at Melbourne and returned to 10 Squadron on 17th November 1942. As a result of battle damage sustained on 6th February 1943 Cat.A/FB damage resulted. It was repaired on site at Pocklington and returned to 10 Squadron at Melbourne. On 23rd February 1943 it was transferred to 408 Squadron at Leeming and then to 1659 Heavy Conversion Unit at Topcliffe on 9th June 1943. As a result of a landing accident at Topcliffe on 29th August 1944 the damage was deemed to be Cat.E/FA that wrote off the aircraft. It was struck off charge on the same date.
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