The Airmen's Stories - Sgt. D W Halton

Derrick Wilson Halton was born on 15th June 1919 in Northampton, the son of John Wilson Halton (1879-1961) and Ethel Ellis (1888-1979).

After school he worked as a journalist at the Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph before joining a Fleet Street news agency.

He joined the RAFVR about May 1939 as an Airman u/t Pilot and was called up on 1st September that year. He completed his training at 5 FTS Sealand and was posted to 615 Squadron at Kenley in early July 1940.

Halton was shot down in combat on 15th August and reported 'Missing'. His Hurricane, P2801, may have gone into the sea off Deal.

Halton was 21 and is commemorated at Runnymede, panel 14.

He married Margaret Farmer Mather on 15th September 1939 at St. Marys, Rushden.

(Above photographs courtesy of Peter Halton)

(Above image courtesy of Dean Sumner)

The post-war research into missing Battle airmen, including Halton, is well documented in 'Finding the Few' by Andy Saunders (Grub Street ISBN 13:9781906502553).

***************************************************

November 2025 - John Halton writes:

I wonder if the following story is of any interest to you. I was reading the book 'Sky Spy' , written by Ray Holmes, whilst drinking my coffee one morning. I was reading about how he and his friend were court-martialled for low flying while pilot training in 1940.

Ray's friend was named as Wee Halty. The name intrigued me as my surname is Halton and I knew that my uncle must have been training around that time. I wrote to Ray, through the publisher, and asked him if Wee Halty could have been my uncle, Derek Halton. Ray replied that it was most certainly his friend, and that I should be very proud of him because he was killed in his Hurricane a few months later.

Derek had married Peggy (Margaret Mather) before he was posted to Biggin Hill and when I was born my mother asked Peggy to be my godmother. Peggy later remarried and her husband didn't want her to have anything to do with her first husband, so I never knew her.

Now comes the strange part of this story. I put the book I was reading down and as I did so, the phone rang. A lady asked if I was John Halton and when I said I was she said "You won't know me but ......".

I interrupted her "You're not Peggy are you ?".

Neither of us could believe it but it was true. Peggy and I had made contact after over fifty years. My wife and I went to Northampton several times, to visit her in her home and later in a care home. She explained why she had not kept in contact and we became good friends.

Could it be possible that Derek had played some part in this story ?