Walter Blackburn

Flight Sergeant Walter Blackburn from Bramley was a mid-upper gunner on Halifax bombers with No. 158 Squadron based at Lissett in Yorkshire. He flew thirty-one operations over Germany, including raids on Berlin during the devastating winter campaign of 1943-44. During a raid on Leipzig, his Halifax was attacked by two night fighters simultaneously. Walter shot down one Messerschmitt and drove off the other, saving the entire crew. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal. After the war, he worked at the Leeds Permanent Building Society and was a regular speaker at school remembrance assemblies across Yorkshire.