Halifax DT807 damaged by flak, returned to Elvington airfield.
On the night of 24th / 25th June 1943 the crew of this 77 Squadron aircraft were to undertake an operational flight to bomb Wuppertal and took off from Elvington airfield at 22.557hrs. They bombed the target area from 14,500 feet onto the PFF target markers but while over the target the aircraft was slightly damaged by flak, the mid upper turret sustained a hit by the flak and became jammed. The crew made a safe return to base and landed in the early hours.
Pilot - P/O Edward James Canton RAFVR (146327).
Flight Engineer - Sgt John W Holmes RAF (809185).
Navigator - F/O Paul Ambrose Jousse RAFVR (80216).
Bomb Aimer - F/Sgt J Myers.
Wireless Operator - F/Sgt R Godwin.
Air Gunner - F/Sgt Leslie Huxley RAFVR (1458275).
Air Gunner - F/Sgt Forest Bob Polston RCAF, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA.
Second Pilot - S/Ldr (name unknown).
Paul Jousse received a commission on 19th December 1941 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) and was promoted to F/O on probation (war subs) on 1st October 1942. He was awarded the DFC for service with 77 Squadron, Gazetted on 10th September 1943 while in the rank of Acting F/Lt and was promoted to F/Lt (war subs) on 19th December 1943.
Edward Canton received a commission on 20th April 1943 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) (146327). He was awarded the DFC for service with
77 Squadron Gazetted on 14th September 1943. He was probably born in Pembrokeshire in 1920.
Forest Polston was born in October 1919 in Oklahoma, USA. Before WW2 he served in the US Navy but crossed the border and enlisted into the RCAF during the early years of WW2. After the war he returned home and trained as a pilot. He died in Texas, USA in January 2005.
Leslie Huxley was awarded the DFM for service with 77 Squadron, Gazetted on 6th June 1944.
John Holmes had served with 249 Squadron (Fighter Command) from May 1940 probably as a member of ground crew. He later re-trained as a flight engineer and was posted to 77 Squadron. He was made a PoW as a result of failing to return from Ops on 22nd/23rd October 1943 in Halifax JB856.