On the night of 27th / 28th March 1943 this 10 Squadron aircraft left Melbourne airfield at 19.58hrs to undertake an operational flight to bomb Berlin. The aircraft received flak damage to the starboard mainplane in the Bremen area but the crew were able to bring the aircraft back to base and landed at Melbourne at 03.29hrs.
Pilot - F/Sgt Jack Banfield Denton RAFVR (1330297).
Flight Engineer - Sgt Raymond James Harry Steel RAF (578363).
Navigator - Sgt Norman Peter Plenderleith RAFVR (1504640).
Bomb Aimer - Sgt Derrick Henry George Adams RAFVR (146446).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Peter Grimwood RAFVR (1331935).
Air Gunner - Sgt Albert Edwin Wallis RAFVR (1578208).
Air Gunner - Sgt George Henry Lawson RAFVR (658406).
Halifax DT732 was built to contract B.982938/39 by English Electric Co.Ltd. at Samlesbury and was awaiting collection on 8th January 1943. The following day it was allotted to 10 Squadron and was taken on charge by them on 14th January 1943 at Melbourne. As a result of sustaining flak damage on the nights of 27th / 28th March 1943 and then on 3rd / 4th April 1943 minor Cat.A/FB damage was the damage assessment each time and repairs on site were made each time. On 14th May 1943 it failed to return from an operational flight to bomb Bochum with the loss of the whole crew. Cat.E(m) damage was recorded on the paperwork and it was struck off charge on 31st May 1943 having clocked up 139 flying hours.
On the night of 23rd / 24th May 1943 all but the flight engineer named above were flying Halifax HR696 when the aircraft crashed in Germany with the loss of the whole crew. They are now buried in Reichswald War Cemetery. Jack Denton received a commission on 10th May 1943 to the rank of P/O on probation.
Flight Engineer Sgt Raymond Steel was killed on 19th November 1943 when Halifax HX181 crashed at Tangmere on return from Ops to Leverkuseun. He is buried in his home town churchyard of March, Cambridgeshire. He was still just nineteen years old.
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