David Maltby

Several other pieces of memorabilia related to Maltby have appeared in recent years, however many of these have been subject to critique and doubt over their legitimacy. In November 2019 a teddy bear named "Pinnie The Wooh", said to have flown with Maltby on every flight, was revealed to be going up for auction in Bristol later that month by an unknown seller. The Maltby family later released a statement that they were unable to provide the authenticity for this item along with others that have been rumoured to be up for sale saying they never knew of their existence, and if they had, then they never would have given it away. Others have pointed out that the bear is in remarkably good condition considering it was recovered from Maltby's body which was found in the North Sea.

A bombsight that was used by Maltby's crew on Operation Chastise is said to have been passed initially onto Maltby's father Ettrick shortly after the dams raid. It remained at Hydneye House school until its demolition, ending up in the possession of a former pupil, who sold it at auction in 2015. It is believed to be the only original bomb sight used on the dams raid that is still remaining.

In the 1955 film The Dam Busters, Maltby was played by George Baker. Baker stated in an interview that he was chosen for the part due to his physical similarity to Maltby.

Maltby then spent six months commanding an Air Bomber Training Section in No. 1485 Target Towing and Gunnery Flight, before returning to active service with 97 Squadron in March 1943. He was given a new crew, most of whom had only just finished training. On 25 March 1943, he and his crew were transferred to 617 Squadron, along with Flt Lt Joe McCarthy and Flt Lt Les Munro and their crews.

Maltby flew in the No. 617 Squadron RAF Operation Chastise dams raid of 1943. He was the pilot of Avro Lancaster J-Johnny, flying as part of the first wave that attacked the Möhne Dam. The first three aircraft to attack the dam (Guy Gibson flying in G-George, Hopgood in M-Mother and Harold Brownlow Martin in P-Popsie) all missed the target. The next, A-Apple (flown by Dinghy Young) hit the dam and caused a small breach but, as this was not apparent from the air, J-Johnny also attacked, scored a hit and a large breach. Maltby then returned home and was the first Lancaster to land back at Scampton having completed the operation.

Maltby began his operational career with No. 106 Squadron RAF in June 1941, flying the Handley Page Hampden on five operations. By the end of the month he was transferred to 97 Squadron, flying first Hampdens, then Avro Manchesters and finally Avro Lancasters. He completed his tour in June 1942, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on 11 August 1942.

Maltby started training at the RAF receiving unit in Uxbridge on Thursday 20 June. After spending some time in the Initial training wing, he attended the Elementary Flying Training School at Ansty in Warwickshire. Here, he trained in an old training aircraft known as the "Tiger Moth". After this, he was sent to No 12 Service Flying Training School at RAF Grantham. He qualified as a pilot on 18 January 1941.

Squadron Leader David John Hatfeild Maltby, DSO, DFC (10 May 1920 – 15 September 1943) was a bomber pilot in the Royal Air Force, best known for his part in the Dambusters raid. He had successfully completed over 30 operations before his death in September 1943.

Maltby was born on 10 May 1920 in Baldslow, outside Hastings, Sussex. His father, Ettrick, was a headmaster at Hydneye House School which Maltby attended for a while. His mother was Aileen Hatfeild, who was originally from Hartsdown in Kent. He then joined Marlborough College between 1934 and 1936. In 1938 he began training as a mining engineer in Treeton, South Yorkshire, but resigned at the outbreak of war. He volunteered to join the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1939 however like thousands of others joining, he was told to wait and that he would be invited back for an assessment as soon as possible. He was eventually called up on 20 June 1940 where he was accepted for aircrew training and formally joined the RAF Reserves.