Clarke, Victor Robert Died

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Personal Information

Rank WO
Forename(s) Victor Robert
Surname Clarke
Gender M
Age 34
Decorations MBE
Date of Death 23-09-1946
Next of Kin Son of Oscar Robert and Ethel Maude Clarke; husband of Kathleen Mary Clarke, of Westcliff-on-Sea.
CLARKE VR

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Vickers Wellington IC
Serial Number R1279
Markings

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country United Kingdom
Burial/Memorial Place Southend-on-Sea (Sutton Road) Cemetery
Grave Reference Plot T. Grave 17235

IBCC Memorial Information

Phase Post-War
Panel Number POST (not yet erected on site)

Enlistment Information

Service Number 959892
Service Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Squadron 9 (IX)
Squadron Motto Per noctem volamus (Through out the night we fly)
Trade WOp
Country of Origin United Kingdom

Other Memorials

Location Village Green, Bardney, Lincolnshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Stone Memorial, Propeller and Plaque
Memorial Text In memory of the killed or missing of IX Sqd. 1939 - 1945
Location Inside former Control Tower, Bardney airfield, Bardney, Lincolnshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed metal plaque
Memorial Text To the memory of the men and women of No 9 Sqn RAF Bardney
Location In front of the mess esplanade, Mailly-le-Camp, 10 - Aube Prefecture
Country France
Memorial Type Stone memorial sculpture, inscribed marble tablets and inscribed metal plaque
Memorial Text En souvenir des heros de la RAF. Qui ont participe au bombardment du camp de Mailly. Unites de la RAF engagees dans le raid sur Mailly-le-Camp, la nuit du 3 au 4 May 1944. N° 9-12-44-49-50-57 61-83-97-100-101 Special Duties Flight-103-105-106-166- 169-192-207-460 (RAAF)-463 (RAAF)-467 (RAAF)-550-576-617- 619-625-626-627-630
Translation "In memory of the RAF heroes who took part in the bombing of Mailly Camp. RAF units engaged in the raid on Mailly-le-Camp, the night of 3-4 May 1944. Squadrons that took part: N° 9-12-44-49-50-57 61-83-97-100-101 Special Duties Flight-103-105-106-166- 169-192-207-460 (RAAF)-463 (RAAF)-467 (RAAF)-550-576-617-619-625-626-627-630"

Miscellaneous Information

PoW number 23600. He was camp leader of Stalag Luft IV and had previously been incarcerated in Stalag Luft VI. He was an extremely diligent and hugely popular camp leader and also won the respect of the German guards. He was instrumental in mitigrating the worst effects of the forced march out of Stalag Luft IV of Febraury 1945. It was during the march that he was taken ill and was forced to leave his men behind.
Mentioned in Bombers First and Last by Gordon Thorburn
His MBE was promulgated on 28 December 1945

Casualty Pack Number Find Out More

(P/361825/41)

The National Archives

Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/126/15
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/126/15

Fellow Servicemen

Please note that this list gives all the losses aboard the quoted aircraft and occasionally these may have occurred on an earlier date when the aircraft was not itself lost. Please check the dates of death carefully.

Name Outcome
Freeland J R (P/O) Died
Gove R G (Sgt) Died
Kitson W S (F/S) Died
Lee J W (Sgt) Died
McLean J A (Sgt) Died
Palmer J R (Sgt) Died

Last Operation Information

Start Date 29-08-1941
End Date 30-08-1941
Takeoff Station Honington
Day/Night Raid Night (55% moon)
Operation Mannheim
Reason for Aircraft Loss Flying at 11,000 feet over the target having completed the bombing run, entered cloud to avoid flak and searchlights and became iced up. The pilot lost control of the aircraft and it turned onto its back. He subsequently regained control and instructed the crew to prepare to abandon. He once again lost control but was able to get it back under control at 2,000 feet, at which point it was found that the wireless operator, Sgt. Clarke, and the navigator (Sgt. Corser) had baled out and this was confirmed by the fron gunner, who had seen them leave the aircraft. Both became prisoners of war. The Wellington made a safe return to Honington without further incident.
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Casualty Pack

IBCC is delighted to introduce a unique facility to link the Losses Database to the relevant RAF Casualty Pack on the National Archives website. This project is the result of on-going collaboration between IBCC, the MOD Records Office and National Archives, Kew. This document describes what Casualty Packs are, when they were created, the process of making them available to the public and then goes on to describe the process by which you can view the contents of the packs. Casualty Packs (CPs) were created by the RAF whenever there was serious injury or loss of life associated with operational activity within the RAF. This includes operational flying losses, enemy action due to air raids, road accidents either on station or even off-station if they involved RAF vehicles. Deaths due to natural causes in service or accidents that did not involve RAF vehicles did not generally give rise to a CP.

CPs were originally given a unique reference number by the RAF. Each begins with the letter ‘P’ and is followed by six digits, then an oblique (forward slash) and the finally the year in which the incident took place- for example P396154/42.

The CPs are in the process of being made available to the general public as they are passed from the MOD Records Office, Portsmouth to National Archives, Kew. This process requires some rework to the files which is very time consuming, so the process of making them all available to National Archives will take several years. They are being made available in increasing date order.

Once CPs arrive at National Archives they are assigned a unique AIR81 number, so each CP has both a P-number and an AIR81 number. Both are searchable on the National Archives website under ‘Search the catalogue’ and both are included on the IBCC website.

The AIR81 reference on the IBCC website is a link to the file on the National Archives website. When you click on it, the relevant page will open in a new tab on your browser.

There is currently no plan to digitise AIR81 files, partly because they are fragile and partly because the information they contain can at times be sensitive, even harrowing, since they may contain exhumation reports and even photographs of corpses. Family members wishing to read the AIR81 files relating to their ancestors are advised to exercise caution and be guided by National Archives warnings where appropriate.

There are two means for accessing AIR81 files- to attend in person or to order a copy by post.

To attend in person, the attendee should first create a Reader’s Ticket. This can be done online by following this link: https://secure.nationalarchives.gov.uk/login/yourdetails. Then click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and click Order in Advance. Enter your Reader’s Ticket number and state the date on which you intend to visit. National Archives will have the file ready for you when you arrive, saving you time. When you visit Kew, you must quote the Reader’s Ticket number and take along two forms of ID- one bearing your signature and one bearing your address. When you view the files, you are permitted to take photographs of each page, should you wish.

Alternatively, if you wish to order a copy by post, please be aware that there is a charge for this service based on the number of pages in the file. Click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and then click Request a Copy. There is an £8.40 charge for National Archives staff to access the file and give you a quotation for the copying service. The process takes around 24 days to complete and can be expensive.

IBCC wishes to thank the staff at the MOD Records Office and National Archives for their engagement and assistance in making this facility available to our website users.