Halifax W7751 damaged by flak, returned to East Moor airfield.
On the night of 10th / 11th September 1942 this 158 Squadron aircraft undertook an operational flight to bomb Dusseldorf and took off from East Moor airfield at 20.23hrs. The aircraft was damaged by a flak burst but this did not prevent the crew releasing their bomb load at 22.42hrs. The pilot was able to make a safe return to East Moor airfield where they landed at 01.46hrs and where the aircraft was later repaired.
Pilot - P/O Valentine George James Agutter RAFVR (121948).
Second Pilot - Sgt John Bartlett RNZAF (NZ.413370).
Navigator - P/O David Julian Serpell RAAF (400507).
Flight Engineer - Sgt David Cooke Meldrane Galloway RAF (618542).
Air Bomber - P/O Herbert John Beck RAFVR (131167).
Wireless Operator - P/O Gilbert Vincent Slide RAFVR (122316).
Mid Upper Gunner - Sgt John Thompson Hutchinson RAFVR (1138262).
Rear Gunner - F/Sgt John Martin RAFVR (1377597).
David Serpell was born in Box Hill, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 20th April 1921. He enlisted into the RAAF on 14th September 1940 in Melbourne and after completing his initial training and further training in Canada he arrived in the UK and trained at 22 OTU from 4th August 1941 to 15th October 1941. After completing this training he was posted to 104 Squadron on 15th October 1941, part of 104 Squadron later became 158 Squadron and he was posted to this unit on his commission on 15th May 1942. After converting to Halifax's with 158 Squadron Conversion Unit his spell with 158 Squadron there after was brief as he was posted to 2 School of Air Navigation on 31st October 1942 and then on to the Central Navigation School on 21st February 1943. He was admitted to hospital while at this training unit for an unknown reason. He had received a commission on 15th May 1942 and rose to F/O on 15th November 1942 and then to F/Lt on 15th May 1944 but ended the War in Australia after leaving the UK by the end of 1943. He was later posted to 3 OTU on 30th April 1945
and then to 11 Squadron on 24th August 1945 and later to 33 Squadron with whom he flew before receiving his discharge in July 1946.
Valentine Agutter was born in Bethnal Green, London in 1912. He received a commission to the rank of P/O (emergency) on 1st May 1942. He rose to the rank of F/O on probation (war subs) on 1st November 1942. He was awarded the DFC for service with 158 Squadron on 6th November 1942 and was in the rank of Acting F/Lt at the time. The citation for this award reads.. "F/Lt Agutter has made many sorties over enemy territory, taking part in such successful raids as those on Lubeck, Rostock, Cologne, Hamburg and Dusseldorf, and producing some excellent photographs. On two occasions, by his skill and ability, he has brought a damaged aircraft safely back to base." He rose to F/Lt (war subs) on 8th December 1943. As Acting S/Ldr he was Mentioned in Despatches on 14th January 1944 and again for services to 1668 HCU on 1st January 1946. he had married in the Edmonton area of Middlesex in 1941 and married again Wood Green, Middlesex in 1954. It is possible that he died in Enfield, Middlesex in 1974.
John Bartlett enlisted in June 1941 after after gaining his Wings was posted to the UK in January 1942. He had a brief spell with 158 Squadron and was involved in a number of incidents (all recorded on this website) and it appears he was posted back to New Zealand in 1943. On 16th October 1942 he was the pilot of Halifax W1038 converting to the Halifax type at the time when the aircraft crashed near Wigginton, not far from East Moor airfield on a training flight. On 7th November 1942 his aircraft was the only 158 Squadron aircraft to return to base following Ops to Genoa, many landed at airfields further south after running low on fuel. I do not yet known whether his aircraft made it to the target area or returned to base early. On 10th November 1942 his undercarriage collapsed on return from Ops and he was deemed responsible following an investigation and on 6th December 1942 his fourth accident occurred when, shortly after taking off Halifax DG223 crashed near Bilbrough, York and sadly two airmen died. Following a further investigation he was taken off piloting four engined aircraft. He died in November 1997 in Hamilton, New Zealand.
David Galloway was made P/O (temp) on 5th April 1943. On 17th August 1943 he was awarded the DFC for service to 158 Squadron. He rose to F/O on probation (war subs) on 5th October 1943 and later to the rank of F/Lt (war subs) on 5th April 1945.
Herbert Beck received a commisson on 23rd August 1942 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency),
rising to F/O on probation (war subs) on 23rd February 1943. He was in the rank of Acting F/Lt when, on
30th March 1943 he was flying in Halifax DT744 of 76 Squadron, the aircraft was shot down on Ops to
Berlin and crashed South West of Tellingstedt. He is buried in Kiel War Cemetery and was the bombing
leader with 76 Squadron at the time.
Gilbert Slide was born in the Aston area of Warwickshire in 1910. P/O Slide was the sole survivor from Halifax W7863 on 17th November 1942
when the aircraft crashed in France after being shot down by Hpt Heinrich
Wohlers. He became a PoW. The Luftwaffe pilot had, by the end of February 1944,
claimed twenty nine Allied aircraft as destroyed. Gilbert Slide had received
a commission to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) on 1st May 1942.
He rose to the rank of F/O on probation (war subs) on 1st November 1942 and then to
F/Lt (war subs) on 1st May 1944. He remained in the RAF Post-War and relinquished
his commission on 4th May 1955, retaining his rank of F/Lt. He died in the Bromsgrove area of Worcestershire in 2003.
John Hutchinson received a commission on 12th February 1943 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency).
He rose to F/O on probation (war subs) on 12th August 1943 and was awarded the DFC for service to 138 Squadron,
Gazetted on 2nd November 1943 and the Bar to the DFC again for services with 138 Squadron, Gazetted on 15th
September 1944. He rose again to the rank of F/Lt on 12th February 1945 and survived the War. No citations for either
his DFC or his Bar to the DFC have been located.
Halifax W7751 was built to contract B73328/40 by Handley Page Ltd at Radlett. It was delivered directly to 158 Squadron at East Moor on 17th June 1942 and was used in 158 Squadron's first operational night from East Moor on 25th June 1942. It sustained Cat.A/FB damage as a result of battle damage on 10th / 11th September 1942 and was repaired on site. It was again damaged on Ops on 3rd October 1942 and sustained Cat.A/FB which saw it again repaired on site with it completed by 6th October 1942. It was lost on 9th January 1943 when it failed to return from a minelaying flight and crashed near Bryndun, Denmark, with the loss of seven of the eight crew. Cat.E(m) damage was the damage assessment back in the UK and the aircraft was struck off charge on 9th January 1943.