S/L Clive King Saxelby DFC AFC and bar RAF and crew – 103 Sqn – RAF Elsham Wolds – 1942
Failed to Return – 6/7th September 1942 – Handley Page Halifax II – W1219 – Op Duisberg.
Clive Saxelby ( pictured above post war ) was a very distinguished airman with a long and varied career.
He joined Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1939 but accepted commission in Royal Air Force in 1940. He was posted to 75 Sqn and Mention in Despatches in January 1942. After completion of his first tour he was subsequently posted to 103 Sqn and was awarded a DFC and Mentioned in Dispatches again in June 1942. He was also involved in the Great Escape form Sagan and was ticket number 82 but did not get away as the escape was discovered while he was still in the tunnel. See Note 1 at the foot of this page for further details.
Tour details as follows :-
19-May-42 – Mannheim – Wellington – DV704 – F/L CK Saxelby
30-May-42 – Cologne – Wellington – DV704 – F/L CK Saxelby - Combat. Attacked by twin engined night fighter. Co pilot, Sgt G C Roberts RAFVR, killed - See below. Caught fire which was extinguished. 2 crew injured. Crash landed at Honington badly damaged
03-Jun-42 – Bremen – Wellington – L7819 – F/L CK Saxelby
06-Jun-42 – Emden – Wellington – X9666 – F/L CK Saxelby
08-Jun-42 – Essen – Wellington – Z1140 – F/L CK Saxelby - Coned by searchlights and compelled to jettison bombs near target
22-Jun-42 – Emden – Wellington – HF897 – F/L CK Saxelby
25-Jun-42 – Bremen – Wellington – HD946 – S/L CK Saxelby
01-Aug-42 – Dusseldorf – Halifax – W1219 – S/L CK Saxelby
16-Aug-42 – Dusseldorf – Halifax – W1219 – S/L CK Saxelby – Early return Abandoned mission due to wireless transmitter and electrical circuits being unserviceable. Jettisoned bombs in sea and returned to base.
17-Aug-42 – Osnabruck – Halifax – W1219 – S/L – CK Saxelby
27-Aug-42 – Kassel – Halifax – W1219 – S/L CK Saxelby
28-Aug-42 – Nuremberg – Halifax – W1219 – S/L CK Saxelby - Unable to open bomb doors. Pumped down by hand. 1 x 1000lb hung up. Released by Nav through vision panel. Bomb doors closed by hand pump. Gauge blew off partially blinding Wireless Operator and covering 2 others with oil. Engineer nipped pipe to prevent further loss.
01-Sep-42 – Saarbrucken – Halifax – W1219 – S/L CK Saxelby
04-Sep-42 – Bremen – Halifax – W1219 – S/L CK Saxelby
06-Sep-42 – Duisburg – Halifax – W1219 – S/L CK Saxelby – FTR - Night fighter victim. Crashed south south west of Venlo, Holland
Shot down by night fighter pilot Hauptman Wandam (3./NJG 1) in grid square 6254 (Tegelen).
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Sgt George Christopher Roberts RAFVR – Pilot – 103 Sqn - Welwyn Garden City Burial Ground , Hertfordshire – 30/31st May 1942 - Killed in combat with night fighter. Wellington landed at Honington.
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S/L Clive King Saxelby RAF – Pilot – 103 Sqn – POW – Camp L3 – POW No 678 – Ticket no 82 in Great Escape.
Sgt R Thompson RAFVR ( pictured above ) – 103 Sqn - POW – Camp 8B – POW No 27052
Sgt TP Milligan RAFVR – 103 Sqn – POW - Camp 8B – POW No 27020
F/L Leonard C Pipkin DFC and bar RAFVR - Observer - 103 Sqn – Evader
See Note 2 at the foot of this page.
Sgt J Lamb RAFVR - 103 Sqn – POW - Camp 8B/344 – POW No 26989
F/S WJ McLean DFM RAFVR – 103 Sqn - POW - Camp N/K – POW No N/K - It is thought F/S McLean may have been injured.
F/O DAT Churchward RAFVR – 103 Sqn – POW - Camp L3 – POW No 703
Sgt Charles Edward Benstead RAFVR – Air Gunner - 28 - 103 Sqn - Son of Horace Victor and Alice Benstead; husband of Edna Violett Benstead of Kingsworth, Kent - Jonkerbos War Cemetery, Netherlands
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06-Sep-42 – Duisburg
103 Squadron detailed 5 aircraft for this attack on Duisburg. F/L Kennard failed to take off. Small amounts of cloud on take off increasing to increasing to 5/10ths over the continent which decreased in the target area where visibility was reasonably good. Slight to moderate light flak and moderate to intense predicted flak was encountered with a few searchlights co-operating. S/L Saxelby and crew failed to return. Others returned safely.
For this attack on Duisburg Bomber Command detailed a total 207 aircraft of 6 types. 8 aircraft - 5 Wellingtons, 2 Halifaxes, 1 Stirling - lost, 3.9 per cent of the force. Cloud and haze were present and the bombing was not concentrated. But Duisburg reports its heaviest raid to date, with 114 buildings destroyed and 316 seriously damaged; 86 people were killed.
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Halifax W1219
This machine flew 8 operations including 1 early return all with Clive Saxelby
01-Aug-42 – Dusseldorf – Halifax – W1219 – S/L CK Saxelby
16-Aug-42 – Dusseldorf – Halifax – W1219 – S/L CK Saxelby – Early return Abandoned mission due to wireless transmitter and electrical circuits being unserviceable. Jettisoned bombs in sea and returned to base.
17-Aug-42 – Osnabruck – Halifax – W1219 – S/L – CK Saxelby
27-Aug-42 – Kassel – Halifax – W1219 – S/L CK Saxelby
28-Aug-42 – Nuremberg – Halifax – W1219 – S/L CK Saxelby - Unable to open bomb doors. Pumped down by hand. 1 x 1000lb hung up. Released by Nav through vision panel. Bomb doors closed by hand pump. Gauge blew off partially blinding Wireless Operator and covering 2 others with oil. Engineer nipped pipe to prevent further loss.
01-Sep-42 – Saarbrucken – Halifax – W1219 – S/L CK Saxelby
04-Sep-42 – Bremen – Halifax – W1219 – S/L CK Saxelby
06-Sep-42 – Duisburg – Halifax – W1219 – S/L CK Saxelby – FTR - Night fighter victim. Crashed south south west Venlo, Holland
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Note 1 – Clive King Saxelby DFC AFC and bar
DFC citation
SAXELBY, Clive King, A/S/L (36275, Royal Air Force) - No.103 Squadron - Distinguished Flying Cross - awarded as per London Gazette dated 11 August 1942. Joined Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1939 but accepted commission in Royal Air Force, 1940; Mention in Despatches, January and June 1942. Air Ministry Bulletin 7751 has citation (drafted when he was a Flight Lieutenant) as does RAF Quarterly, December 1942.
"This officer has at all times proved himself to be one of the most able and reliable captains of the squadron. His fearlessness and determination, in the face of enemy fire and grave situations, have been an inspiration to his crew. On one occasion, whilst over Karlsruhe, A British incendiary bomb fell into the engine nacelle and started a fire. With great coolness and despite intense anti-aircraft fire which his burning aircraft has attracted, Flight Lieutenant Saxelby turned off the petrol, ran the engine dry and then switched off. Although 500 miles from base and having lost considerable height, he jettisoned his bombs on an industrial area and started the long journey back to base on one engine. Some 15 minutes later the fire subsided. He decided to restart the engine and in this was successful. By nursing the damaged aircraft carefully Flight Lieutenant Saxelby succeeded in flying safely back to base where he made a good landing on one wheel, the other being burnt. On another occasion, whilst returning from Cologne, his aircraft was attacked by a night fighter soon after leaving the target. His second pilot was killed and the rear gunner wounded. The rear turret of the aircraft was shattered, the fuselage near the astro hatch set on fire and the hydraulics were damaged, causing the undercarriage and bomb doors to fall down. The aircraft went out of control. Although he was unable to see and was badly choked by fumes, Flight Lieutenant Saxelby skilfully regained control at 6,000 feet. He was again attacked at this height but, descending to some 300 feet. he succeeded in evading the attacker. He courageously flew the damaged aircraft back to this country where he made an excellent crash landing at an aerodrome without further injury to his crew."
Post war
Saxelby was promoted Squadron Leader in April 1946 and was OC 617 Squadron for a short time in 1946/48 apart from May 1947 to July 1947 when W/C C D Milne was appointed for the goodwill visit to USA.
He was promoted Wing Commander in 1954 and awarded an AFC and later a bar in 1958. In 1961 he was promoted to Group Captain.
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Note 2 – Leonard Pipkin DFC and bar.
A notable figure in the history of 103 Sq, Leonard was a navigator with 103 in 1942 in Clive Saxelby's crew. Twice decorated in a incident packed tour.
DFC Citation :-
"Acting Flight Lieutenant Leonard Charles Pipkin RAFVR No 103 Squadron. This air observer has
displayed great skill in navigation whilst his leadership and courage, when under fire, have been an example to others. On one occasion when his aircraft was attacked by an enemy fighter and the rear of the fuselage was set ablaze, he beat out the flames with his bare hands and afterwards similarly extinguished flames on the tube of an oxygen bottle. Flight Lieutenant Pipkin, despite severe burns thereby received, navigated his aircraft back to base. By his courage and devotion to duty, while suffering great pain, this officer was largely responsible for the safe return of his aircraft".
Shot down on the 7th Sept 42 he successfully evaded back to the UK and subsequently gave a lecture on evasion at Elsham. Leonard was one of three navigators who evaded at around this time. The other two being Gordon Mellor and Dizzy Spiller.
Leonard did not return to operations and was posted as an instructor. He was later promoted Squadron Leader and I believe had some senior navigational training role. He sadly died in a firearms accident in at Wymeswold in Aug 1944 and is buried at Hendon.
The circumstances of his death were and still are a mystery to his family. Leonard was brought up on Lord Caernarvon's estate with his brother Leslie. Their father, Joseph Pipkin, was a gamekeeper. They lived in the gamekeepers cottage and the boys grew up shooting game for the estate. Leonard was very experienced with firearms but apparently this was caused by the accidental discharge of a loaded shotgun being removed from the boot of a car prior to a shooting party.
Item written and compiled by David Fell. Saxelby photo courtesy of Bill Wilson. Pipkin and Thompson photos courtesy of the respective families
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