Operation: Sweep

Date: 27th October 1941 (Monday)

Unit: 401 Squadron (RCAF - The Rams) (motto: Mors celerrima hostibus - 'Very swift death for the enemy')

Type: Spitfire Vb

Serial: AB991

Code: YO-?

Base: RAF Biggin Hill, Kent

Location: English Channel

Pilot: F/O Clarence Alfred Blake Wallace C/1371 RCAF Age 24. Missing believed killed.

We are grateful to Captain François Dutil RCAF (Chief Editor of our Paradie Canadian Archive and 438 Squadron RCAF Archivist) for supplying photographs and information to Aircrew Remembered.

Reason for loss:

Taking off at 11:35 hrs with 11 others on a sweep over the French coast near St. Omer, the wing were suddenly attacked by a large force of enemy aircraft from Jg26.

A total of 13 aircraft were lost from the Wing (72, 610 and 401 Squadrons). But 401 Squadron suffered suffered the largest lost with 4 pilots killed, 1 taken PoW - with Gerry Whitney the only one returning to his unit at 12:05 hrs.

Two convoy patrols were ordered early in the morin, and carried out without incident. Later on the Squadron was ordered on a wing 'Sweep' with 608 and 72 Squadrons. The wing was attacked by a very considerable numbers of enemy aircraft - mostly Me109's and Fw109s P/O Buckles engaged with one Me109 damaged and P/0 Floody tfire with one Me.109 'probable' and one damaged. P/0 Wallace and P/O Small are sharing one enemy aircraft shot down. P/O Thomson aircraft crashed near Deal. The pilot was heard to say he was baling out. his body was found near his aircraft, under his unopened parachute. Sgt Pilot Whitney bailed out at 600 feet but his parachute did not open until he was within approximately 100 feet from the ground. He landed quite heavily but was uninjured. F/0 Wallace, P/O Small, P/O Floody and Sgt Pilot Hodgkinson are all reported missing after the sweep. No report concerning them has been received.

Above: F/O William Charles Connell C/1159 RCAF (1) with F/O. Clarence Alfred Blake Wallace C/1371 RCAF. (Courtesy Fancois Dutil)

The others:

Above L-R: P/O. Clarke Floody, Sgt. Brian Hodgkinson, P/O. John Small, Sgt. Stanley Thompson, F/O. Clarence Wallace and P/O. Gerald Whitney.

Spitfire Vb AB917 Flown by P/O. Gerald Bickle Whitney J/15189 RCAF - Missing believed killed.

Spitfire Vb W3601 Flown by Sgt. Stanley Lewis Thompson R/61455 RCAF - killed,

Spitfire Vb AB983 Flown by P/O. John Allan Small J/3717 RCAF - killed,

Spitfire Vb W3964 Flown by P/O. Clarke Wallace Chant Floody J/5481 RCAF - PoW (PoW No: 648 Camp: Stalag Luft Barth Vogelsang - later Stalag Luft Sagan),

Spitfire Vb W3955 Flown by Sgt. Brian Gilmore Hodgkinson J/38649 RCAF - PoW (PoW No: 143 Camp: Stalag Hohen Fels)

During Circus 144 to St. Omer during the middle of the day, one of two lost from the squadron, P/O Whitney, was hit and crash landed at Whitfield in Kent, killing the pilot. P/O John Aubrey Stewart Ferguson J/15271 RCAF flying Spitfire BL598 YO-Q was also shot down, - he crashed south of Dunkirk, and was taken PoW. (PoW No: 195 Camp: Stalag Luft Sagan).

Also lost with the squadron on this sweep:

611 Squadron Spitfire Vb W3838, flown by26 year old F/O. Anthony Carey-Hill 85938 RAFVR - killed. during ASR escort.

72 Squadron Spitfire Vb W3704, flown by 22 year old Sgt 'Jum' Fraser Falkiner Aus/400220 RAAF PoW Stalag Luft Heydekrug (L6). Born 06th September in Melbourne, Australia. Discharged in March 1946. Deceased on the 17th September 2007, age 88 in Victoria, Australia.

Burial and further details:

F/O. Clarence Alfred Blake Wallace. Runnymede Memorial/ Panel 59. Born in Vancouver, British Columbia on the 28th May 1917. Educated at Kingsley School then was awarded a BA in Commerce at British Columbia University.Enlisted on the 06th November 1939. Posted to England, arriving at 112 Squadron RCAF (then in an Army Co-Op role) on 08th September 1940 (making him entitled to the Battle of Britain Clasp). With other Canadian pilots he was sent on the 21st to 6 Operational Training Unit at Sutton Bridge, Lincolnshire to convert to Hurricanes and took up a posting to 3 Squadron at Turnhouse on 5th October. By late 1941 he was serving with 401 (RCAF)

His father shown left.

Son of Colonel the Hon. Clarence Alfred Clarence Wallace, CBE. (died 12th November 1982, aged 88), and 'Dimple' Charlotte Hazel Wallace (née Shaw - Blake was her mothers maiden name - died 01st January 1974, age 77), of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. B.Com.
His father, Clarence Wallace CBE (22nd June 1894 - 12th November 1982) was a Canadian shipbuilder and the 18th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, he fought in World War I and was wounded at Ypres. After the war, he became the president of his father's business, Burrard Dry Dock. During World War II, he built ships for the war and was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1946. From 1950 to 1955, He was also made a Knight of Grace in the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. He died at his winter residence in Palm Desert, California , USA. They had 4 sons, all served in the RCAF - David (died 17th Dec 2018, age 95), twins Richard (died 03rd January 1997, age 75) and Philip (died 20th September 1956 Age 34).

F/O. Anthony Carey-Hill. Boulogne Eastern Cemetery. Plot 11. Row A. Grave 20. Educated at Eversley. Worked at Wolsey Textiles. School. Son of Eustace (married on the 19 April 1911 - died 21 March 1962, age 79) and Marjorie Vivian Evelyn Carey-Hill, (née O'Hara - died on 28 May 1956, age 72), brother of Rosemary, of 'The Hollied'. Kenilworth, Warwickshire. Epitaph: 'In Dear Memory Of Anthony Of Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England'.

Researched and dedicated to the relatives of this crew with thanks to François Dutil, Paradie RCAF Archives, Government of Canada WW2 Service Records, National Archives Kew AIR-27/1771-12/13, My Dad's War.

Other sources as quoted below:

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