On the night of 15th / 16th September 1943 the crew of this 434 Squadron aircraft took off from Tholthorpe airfield at around 20.45hrs for an operational flight to bomb the Dunlop factory at Montlucon, France. While over the target area at 23.30hrs the aircraft was struck from above by falling incendiary bombs dropped from a higher flying aircraft. The Halifax received damage to a wing and also probably damage to one of the engines or propellers. The crew managed to make a safe return to base on three engines, landing at Tholthorpe in the early hours, around 03.30hrs.

Pilot - Sgt Jack McLean Snelgrove RCAF (R/114518).

Navigator - F/O David Ellis Smith RCAF (J/14195).

Bomb Aimer - P/O William A Hunt RCAF (J/20165).

Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Harry Francis Lane RAFVR (976217).

Air Gunner - Sgt Frank Holmes RAFVR (1147342).

Air Gunner - Sgt Larry A Hoffman RCAF (R/113243).

Flight Engineer - Sgt Stanley Allenby Mitton RAF (537513).

David Smith also completed a tour with 434 Squadron and was awarded the DFC, Gazetted on 17th October 1944.

Stanley Mitton was born on 15th July 1918 in Manchester and was the son of Thomas and Louise Mitton. He would received a commission in the RAF to the rank of P/O on probation on 18th December 1943 (54000) and rose to F/O (War Subs) on 18th June 1944. After Ww2 he married Eileen Toussaint in London in 1947 and was living in Frinton on Sea, Essex when he emigrated to Brasil in 1949 but he must have later returned to the UK. He worked for the BOAC during the 1950s as he made numerous flights across the Atlantic. He died in Manchester in 1988.