Sgt P.F. Clarke, 546660, 21/06/1940
 

What caused the death of:

Sergeant (W.Op./Air Gnr.) Patrick F. Clarke, RAF 546660, 254 Sqdn., age unknown, 21/06/1940, Lerwick New Cemetery, UK

Regards,

Bart

Re: Sgt P.F. Clarke, 546660, 21/06/1940
 

Can't help with the loss, but at the time 254 Squadron were operating out of Sumburgh, near to Lerwick in the Shetlands Isles, with the Blenheim IVF.

Regards
Peter

Re: Sgt P.F. Clarke, 546660, 21/06/1940
 

I know, Peter - Sgt Clarke is the only one of 254 Squadron who I can't connect to an aircraft loss.

Re: Sgt P.F. Clarke, 546660, 21/06/1940
 

Well he was definately killed in action on operations against the enemy

Re: Sgt P.F. Clarke, 546660, 21/06/1940
 

Thanks Paul,

So I can assume he's was killed or mortally wounded on a combat flight, and the plane he was on returned to base?

Regards,

Bart

Re: Sgt P.F. Clarke, 546660, 21/06/1940
 

Bart

Yes that is a good possibility


Paul

Re: Sgt P.F. Clarke, 546660, 21/06/1940
 

Hello Paul,

Then he is likely to be killed or wounded near Norway, as most of the operations of 254 Sqdn in this period took place in the Norwegian Theatre of Operations.

Hope that somebody can confirm this series of assumptions.

Regards,

Bart

Re: Sgt P.F. Clarke, 546660, 21/06/1940
 

Hi,
Just a thought.
Could he have been injured when R3628 force landed at Scatsta after combat on the 29th April 40 and died of the injuries on the 21st June ?
Alex

Re: Sgt P.F. Clarke, 546660, 21/06/1940
 

If so, would he be listed as 'killed in action on operations against the enemy'?

Re: Sgt P.F. Clarke, 546660, 21/06/1940
 

No - He would be listed as died as a result of of injuries recieved on operations against the enemy

Re: Sgt P.F. Clarke, 546660, 21/06/1940
 

Hi guys

Just a thought, but could he have been loaned to Bomber Command? I haven't got Bill Chorley's Volume I but worth a look.

Cheers
Brian

Re: Sgt P.F. Clarke, 546660, 21/06/1940
 

Hello Brian,

It's a possibility - I've ordered Volume 1 as soon as I realized that the info on Lost Bombers for the period I'm researching was copied from it (with many mistakes - but that's another story) and I'm still waiting for it to arrive, so meanwhile I studied Lost Bombers again and no plane to match with Sgt Clarke.

But: would Chorley have listed him if the plane Clarke was on wasn't lost?

Re: Sgt P.F. Clarke, 546660, 21/06/1940
 

Hi,
Nothing in th BCL vol 1 that I have.
He isn't in Vol 9 either.
Alex

Re: Sgt P.F. Clarke, 546660, 21/06/1940
 

Received a picture of his headstone - on it no Squadron is mentioned; got the Squadron number from the CWGC database.

Re: Sgt P.F. Clarke, 546660, 21/06/1940
 

Hi,
Perhaps I found something ?

204 Sqdn on 21st June, Sqdn Ldr Thomas in F/204 N9046 and Flt Lt. Phillips in A/204 N9028 were on shadowing duty escorted by Blenheims from Sumburgh. Unfortunately the Blenheims peeled off to attack a Do 18 and then left for Base, leaving the Sunderland's on their own.
Later on Me109's attacked and after one went down into the sea in flames A/204 returned to Base with holed fuel tanks and the Rear Turret out of action.

It just might be that Clarke was the rear gunner in this Sunderland ?

As a note I tried both "204"; "254" and "Clarke" on the hut-six co.uk site but No Clarke P.F came up , strange because he does on the CWGC site.

ref was "Famous Maritime Squadrons of the RAF" by Halley

Not:It seems that it was usual practice for aircrew to plug the bullet holes with plasticine to stop fuel loss.


All for now
Alex

Re: Sgt P.F. Clarke, 546660, 21/06/1940
 

Hello Alex,

Strange; according to one of my sources, 'Fledging Eagles': 21/06/1940. Three 254 Squadron Blenheims escorted 204 Squadron Sunderlands, but broke away to attack an He 115 - inconclusively as it turned out.

So the Blenheims attacked a He 115 or a Do 18. The Sunderlands down one Me 109. Maybe a German source can bring some clarification?

Was a tailgunner on a Sunderland normally Air Gunner or Wireless Operator/Airgunner?

Re: Sgt P.F. Clarke, 546660, 21/06/1940
 

Hi,
Don't know but a few days before the usual tail gunner had received an award, so could have been on leave ?
Alex

Re: Sgt P.F. Clarke, 546660, 21/06/1940
 

Robert came up with this German claim: 'On this day Olt.Heinz Schopper from stII(J)/Tr186 claimed one Sunderland as shot down off Norway.'
Olt. Schopper flew a Bf109E.

I consider it very likely that he was the one that damaged Sunderland N9028.

As far as I know no Sunderlands were lost this day, not by 204 Sqdn nor by the other Sunderlands squadrons.

Re: Sgt P.F. Clarke, 546660, 21/06/1940
 

He was killed as a WOp in Blenheim R3827 on 21 Jun 40. Other crew members were Flt Lt Mitchell & Sgt Kendall

Re: Sgt P.F. Clarke, 546660, 21/06/1940
 

Was Blenheim R3827 a 254 Squadron a/c? And what happened to the other two crew members?

Regards,

Bart

Re: Sgt P.F. Clarke, 546660, 21/06/1940
 

Kendall

http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_...sualty=1802581

Re: Sgt P.F. Clarke, 546660, 21/06/1940
 

That's strange,

Kendall is listed as missing per 25/06/1940, I've this on him:

Type: Bristol Blenheim Mk IV
Serial number: R3622, QY-K
Operation: Stab (Stavanger to Bergen (patrol))
Lost: 25/06/1940
P/O A.J. Hill, 42004, POW
Sergeant George W.H. Kendall, RAF 563559, 254 Sqdn., age 27, 25/06/1940, missing
Sergeant Richard C. Trowbridge, RAF 550858, 254 Sqdn., age 20, 25/06/1940, missing
Took off 12.48 hrs from Sumburgh. Shot down by Ofw Arnoldy of 4./JG77 at approximately 14.25 hrs, on a sweep to Stavanger/Bergen.

Sources: CWGC and Ross McNeill, Coastal Command Losses of the Second World War, Volume 1 (1939-1941), Midland publishing, 2003

Re: Sgt P.F. Clarke, 546660, 21/06/1940
 

I would imagine that Kendall was on op on 21 June in which Clarke died, but the aircraft got back to base OK - If anyone has the Air Britain serial books and could look up R3827 it might say what happened

Re: Sgt P.F. Clarke, 546660, 21/06/1940
 

R3827 was with 254 Sqn, but crashed on take-off from Wick 4.3.41 - BTW it could have been damaged before

Re: Sgt P.F. Clarke, 546660, 21/06/1940
 

Hello Paul,

So, everything points to it that Sgt Clarke was killed by this mysterious German plane (either a Do 18 or He 115).

Regards,

Bart

Re: Sgt P.F. Clarke, 546660, 21/06/1940
 

Hi, You are all talking about my Uncle Pat. He was a rear gunner and wireless operator. We have a great photo of him in his uniform. We have just received a copy of the records from Kew. It states that Sergeant P F Clarke report of death in Blenheim R3827 in air operations 21 June 1940. We have tried the English and Scottish records offices to get hold of his death certificate but have been told there is not one. The family were only told he had been killed in action after being first told he was missing believed killed. It you have any other info please will you share it with his nieces and nephews.