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

[Brian]

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

[B.F.M. Droog]

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?

[Alex Smart]

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

[B.F.M. Droog]

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

[Alex Smart]

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

[B.F.M. Droog]

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?

[Alex Smart]

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

[B.F.M. Droog]

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.

[Chris Goss]

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

[B.F.M. Droog]

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

Regards,

Bart