The Man, the Mission & the Bomber

The Halifax was one of England's front-line, four-engined heavy bombers flown by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. It remained in service until the end of the war, performing a variety of duties in addition to bombing, and was also flown by squadrons of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and others.


Photo: RCAF

Groundcrews have just completed the grooming of one of the giant Halifaxes of the Canadian Bomber Group in Britain. Here the engines are being tested in preparation for take off on a mission to Germany.

Rarely mentioned in the same context as the Lancaster as a great airplane (to the great irritation of Halifax pilots), the Halifax, through successive improvements to the basic design, became a very able support aircraft to the Lancaster. The first Halifax took to the air on 25 October 1939 from Bicester but it was to be almost a year before the second one flew. It was the second of the RAF's new four-engined heavy bombers, being preceded by the Stirling by some three months.

The aircraft went through a variety of upgrades and technical improvements throughout the war. See the RAF's Handley Page Halifax historical page for thorough details.

Flight Lieutenant Henderson joined 10 Squadron in April of 1944. Ten Squadron was reformed as a night bomber unit in January 1928, Just prior to WWII, in 1937, it moved to RAF Dishforth to form part of the newly created No. 4 Group of RAF Bomber Command. During this time, the unit operated a variety of aircraft, but was re-equipped with Halifax bombers in December, 1941, while based at RAF Leeming, Yorkshire. On August 19th, 1942, No. 10 Squadron moved to RAF Melbourne, Yorkshire.


RCAF Photo
An aircraft in flight from 1664 Heavy Conversion Unit during wartime operations.

In an attack on the German battleship Tirpitz in Foetten fjord, Norway, on 27/28th April 1942, the 10 Sq. commanding officer, Wing Commander DCT Bennett, who later formed the Pathfinder Force, was shot down. He escaped through Sweden and within five weeks was back in command of the squadron.


Photo: Time Money & Blood

Between September 1939 and May 1945, the squadron earned 523 awards, including 9 DSOs, 333 DFCs and 173 DFMs.

The DFC is awarded to officers and Warrant Officers for an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty performed whilst flying in active operations against the enemy. The slip-on bar has an eagle in the centre. The year of the award is engraved on the reverse.

"As captain of aircraft, Flight Lieutenant Henderson has completed a tour of operations during which he has shown high courage and unwaverying resolutions [sic] to press home his attacks often in adverse circumstances. On one occasion in June, 1944, his aircraft was detailed to attack Trappex. After the target had been bombed, his aircraft was attacked by a Focke Wulf 190. By skilful airmanship, he enabled his gunners to fire on the fighter which burst into flames and was destroyed. Flight Lieutenant Henderson's devotion to duty has always been of the highest order."


Flight Lieutenant Lloyd Henderson receives his DFC in 1949, four years after it was awarded.

The task of raising Halifax Mark A VII NA337X was contracted to a Norwegian salvage firm in the summer of 1995, and salvage efforts got underway in August. The tail section was raised on August 15th. Jeff Jeffrey, DFC adds, "When they searched the tail section they had found the Tail Gunner's (Thomas Weightman) Thermos bottle in the rear gun turret. Thomas was not aware of this until we were invited to dinner at the home of one of our Norwegian friends. After dinner, I suggested that he might like some coffee and handed him his Thermos bottle (misplaced for 50 years) - an emotional moment!"

The main section of the plane was raised on September 3. Jeff Jeffery, D.F.C., President of the Halifax Aircraft Association. provides a wealth of information and photographs here.. The aircraft arrived in Trenton, Ontario in December of 1995.

Lloyd Henderson, should you ask him why he left the comfort and safety of his Saskatchewan home to go to war, will tell you in a matter-of-fact way, that "Somebody had to do it - we knew Hitler had to be stopped."

This page is dedicated to Mr. and Mrs. Henderson who, together with millions of their compatriots, so ably personify those we have come to recognize as The Greatest Generation.