Wilfred Clouston

Wilfred Greville Clouston DFC (15 January 1916 – 24 May 1980) was a New Zealand flying ace of the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. He was credited with the destruction of nine enemy aircraft and shared in the destruction of three more.

Wilfred Clouston
Wilfred Clouston, September 1940
Nickname(s)Wilf
Born(1916-01-15)15 January 1916
Auckland, New Zealand
Died24 May 1980(1980-05-24) (aged 64)
Waipukurau, New Zealand
AllegianceNew Zealand
Service/branchRoyal Air Force
Years of service1936–1957
RankActing Group Captain
Commands heldNo. 258 Squadron
No. 488 (NZ) Squadron
RAF Northolt
Battles/warsSecond World War
AwardsDistinguished Flying Cross

Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Clouston joined the RAF in 1936. He flew Supermarine Spitfires with No. 19 Squadron during the Battle of France and the subsequent Battle of Britain. He later commanded No. 258 Squadron. In August 1941 he was sent to Singapore to take command of No. 488 (NZ) Squadron but became a prisoner of war when the British surrendered Singapore in February 1942. He remained in the RAF after the war, holding a series of administrative posts until his retirement in 1957. He farmed in New Zealand until his death in 1980.

Early life

Wilfred Greville Clouston, known as Wilf, was born in Auckland, New Zealand, on 15 January 1916, the son of A. W. Clouston and his wife.[1][2][3] He had at least one brother.[4] The family later moved to Wellington, where Clouston was educated except for his final year of schooling, which was at Nelson College. On completing his education, he took up clerical work. Interested in flying, he took piloting lessons at Rongotai Aerodrome and in 1935 earned his pilot's licence. The following year he travelled to England where he obtained a short service commission in the Royal Air Force (RAF).[5]

Clouston underwent flight training at the Flying Training School at the RAF's station at Peterborough before being posted to No. 19 Squadron as an acting pilot officer in 1937. At the time, the squadron was based at Duxford and operated the Gloster Gauntlet but in August the following year, it began to re-equip with the Supermarine Spitfire. It was the first squadron in the RAF to do so.[5][6]

Second World War
Clouston, on the right, stands alongside No. 19 Squadron's commander, Squadron Leader B. Lane

After the outbreak of the Second World War, No. 19 Squadron's operational role was to protect shipping in the North Sea by flying covering missions for convoys but generally it saw little offensive action by the Germans.[5] In early May, Clouston and his section pursued a Junkers Ju 88 bomber off the coast of East Anglia but were unsuccessful in shooting it down.[7] By this time, Clouston was married to Anne née Hyde, the ceremony having taken place at Little Wilbraham.[8]

Soon after the German invasion of the Low Countries, No. 19 Squadron began operations over the French and Belgian coast and covering the area around Dunkirk. Clouston, now a flight lieutenant,[9] was leading a flight of his squadron on its first patrol over Dunkirk on 26 May 1940 when it encountered around 20 Junkers Ju 87 dive bombers along with their fighter escorts. Engaging the Germans, Clouston managed to destroy two of the Ju 87s.[7][10] The next day, he shot down a Dornier Do 215 and shared a probable with two other pilots in his flight. On 1 June, again over Dunkirk, he shared in the destruction of a Messerschmitt Bf 110 and on his own, shot down a Messerschmitt Bf 109.[11][12] Later in the month, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for his efforts; the citation published in the London Gazette noted his feat in destroying four enemy aircraft.[13]

Battle of Britain

Following the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk, No. 19 Squadron returned to Duxford and flew night patrols for a period. It was posted to Fowlmere as part of No. 12 Group, initially flying convoy patrols.[14] As the Battle of Britain escalated, the squadron was one of those that formed the Duxford Wing and flew several operations beginning in August. Several Spitfires of the squadron were experimentally fitted with Hispano cannons but these proved problematic and were prone to jamming; eventually the aircraft reverted to their standard Browning machine guns. On 9 August, while flying a cannon-equipped Spitfire, Clouston was credited with half shares in two Bf 109s shot down over the Thames estuary.[15][16] He destroyed two Bf 109s while on patrol with the squadron on 8 September.[17]

A Spitfire of No. 19 Squadron being re-armed at Fowlmere, September 1940

On Battle of Britain Day, 15 September 1940, No. 12 Group was scrambled to support No. 11 Group in its effort to deal with a large bombing raid mounted by the German Luftwaffe. With plenty of notice, the Duxford Wing of five squadrons was scrambled and assembled over London as the bombers approached. When the British fighters attacked, the bombers scattered and Clouston, leading a section of his flight, spotted a group of Dornier Do 17 bombers and managed to destroy one. Later the same day, during another bombing raid mounted by the Germans, he shot down a second Do 17.[18][19] A few days later, he destroyed a Ju 88 over Canterbury.[20]

In November 1940, Clouston, promoted to squadron leader, was appointed commander of No. 258 Squadron, which was based in Yorkshire. The majority of the flying personnel of this newly formed squadron, which operated Hawker Hurricanes, were New Zealanders. It began its operational service flying cover for convoys along the north-east coast but soon shifted to Jurby, in the Isle of Man. From Jurby it flew patrols to target German bombers attacking the ports along the English north east coast. In May 1941, the squadron was shifted to the south east of England and began to fly missions escorting bombers to targets in France.[21] At one stage, Clouston was joined at the squadron by his brother John,[22] who had joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) in 1940 and had been sent to England to fly for the RAF. John was killed in 1944.[4]

By August 1941, the British government had recognised the growing threat that the Japanese Empire presented to its territories in Asia and the New Zealand government was requested to assist in improving British Malaya's air defences. Accordingly, the RNZAF dispatched personnel to form a new fighter squadron in Singapore. As an experienced squadron commander, Clouston was ordered to take command of the squadron, to be designated No. 488 (NZ) Squadron.[5][23]

Singapore

Clouston arrived in Singapore on 19 September 1941 as the first member of No. 488 Squadron. His flight commanders were in Singapore ten days later and together they greeted the rest of the squadron when it arrived from New Zealand on board the SS Tasman on 10 October.[24] The squadron was based at Kallang and began familiarisation with the Brewster Buffalo aircraft, which it had taken over from No. 67 Squadron.[25] The Buffalo was a poor aircraft and Clouston had concerns about its suitability as a fighter.[26] Despite this, he set about bringing the squadron up to operational readiness as soon as possible but his time was largely taken up with administrative matters and his flight commanders did much of the flying training.[27]

When the Japanese attacked British Malaya in December 1941, the squadron had yet to reach operational standards and intensified its training. By the end of the year it was flying regular patrols aimed at detecting and destroying Japanese reconnaissance aircraft but the Buffaloes were inadequate for the task, having a low operational ceiling.[28] When the squadron began encountering Japanese fighters in mid-January 1942, the poor performance of the Buffaloes were even more exposed. Losses to Japanese fighters and bombing raids on Kallang soon reduced the squadron to only a few aircraft by the end of the month.[29]

On 23 January 1942, Clouston was posted to RAF Air Operations Headquarters with one of the flight commanders taking over responsibility for No. 488 Squadron.[30] During the final days of the Battle of Singapore, with the squadron's pilots having already been evacuated, its ground crew worked to prepare a Hawker Hurricane for Clouston's use in the event he wanted to escape.[31][32] In the end, he took to a launch with other staff from RAF Air Operations but this was sunk in the Bangka Strait during an attack by a Japanese bomber. Rescued by a steamer that was intercepted by the Japanese the following day, he became a prisoner of war (POW).[33] Before his capture, he was still able to facilitate the evacuation of the remaining ground crew of the squadron from Singapore.[34] Clouston was interned for most of the war at a POW camp at Palembang in Sumatra but by the time of the Japanese surrender in September 1945, he was held at Changi Prison back on Singapore.[35]

Later life

On his return to England, Clouston resumed his career in the RAF[5] and was promoted to wing commander in July 1950.[36] He held a variety of positions during his postwar RAF career, including on the air staff at Fighter Command and command of the RAF base at Khormaksar in Aden. His last post was commanding RAF Northolt.[37] Having reached the rank of acting group captain,[1] he retired from the RAF in 1957 and went back to New Zealand where he took up farming in Waipukurau, in the Hawke's Bay Region. The effects of his internment as a prisoner of war saw his health decline rapidly in his later years. His son took over the running of his farm, named Tangmere after the RAF station, while Clouston moved to town. He was hospitalised after a fall at his home but died on 24 May 1980.[5][37][38] His uniform and medals, which in addition to the DFC also included the 1939–1945 Star with Battle of Britain clasp and the War Medal,[1] were in the possession of the Waipukurau Returned and Services Association until its closure in December 2011.[39]

Notes
  1. "Cenotaph Record: Wilfred Greville Clouston". Online Cenotaph. Auckland Museum. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  2. Thompson 1953, p. 60.
  3. Wynn 1981, p. 80.
  4. Thompson 1953, p. 242.
  5. Phipps, Gareth. "Wilfred Clouston: Biography". NZ History. New Zealand Ministry of Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  6. Lambert 2011, pp. 91–93.
  7. Lambert 2011, p. 109.
  8. Lambert 2011, p. 93.
  9. Lambert 2011, p. 94.
  10. Thompson 1953, p. 61.
  11. Thompson 1953, p. 65.
  12. Lambert 2011, p. 110.
  13. "No. 34881". The London Gazette. 25 June 1940. p. 3862.
  14. Wynn 1981, p. 81.
  15. Lambert 2011, pp. 144–145.
  16. Claasen 2012, p. 134.
  17. Thompson 1953, p. 93.
  18. Claasen 2012, pp. 162–165.
  19. Thompson 1953, p. 94.
  20. Thompson 1953, pp. 96–97.
  21. Thompson 1953, pp. 231–232.
  22. Thompson 1953, p. 335.
  23. Thompson 1953, pp. 213–214.
  24. Clayton 2008, pp. 34–36.
  25. Ross 1955, pp. 79–80.
  26. Clayton 2008, pp. 57–58.
  27. Ross 1955, p. 81.
  28. Ross 1955, pp. 84–86.
  29. Ross 1955, pp. 87–91.
  30. Clayton 2008, p. 127.
  31. Clayton 2008, p. 161.
  32. Ross 1955, p. 93.
  33. Clayton 2008, p. 255.
  34. Clayton 2008, pp. 178–179.
  35. Lambert 2011, p. 143.
  36. "No. 38955". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 June 1950. p. 3359.
  37. Wynn 1981, p. 84.
  38. Lambert 2011, p. 149.
  39. Sharpe, Marty (15 December 2011). "RSA Closes After Decline in Patronage". Dominion Post. Retrieved 13 March 2020.

References
  • Claasen, Adam (2012). Dogfight: The Battle of Britain. Anzac Battle Series. Auckland, New Zealand: Exisle Publishing. ISBN 978-1-921497-28-5.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Clayton, Graham (2008). Last Stand in Singapore: The Story of 488 Squadron RNZAF. Auckland, New Zealand: Random House New Zealand. ISBN 978-1-86979-033-2.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Lambert, Max (2011). Day After Day: New Zealanders in Fighter Command. Auckland: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 978-1-86950-844-9.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Ross, J. M. S. (1955). Royal New Zealand Air Force. Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–45. Wellington: Historical Publications Branch. OCLC 912824475.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Thompson, H. L. (1953). New Zealanders with the Royal Air Force. Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–45. I. Wellington: War History Branch. OCLC 270919916.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Wynn, Kenneth G. (1981). A Clasp for 'The Few': New Zealanders with the Battle of Britain Clasp. Auckland, New Zealand: Kenneth G. Wynn. ISBN 0-86-465-0256.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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