LEST WE FORGET
Flight Lieutenant Clifford Henry BURGESS
Service No: 406344
Born: Auchenflower QLD, 6 April 1920
Enlisted in the RAAF: 11 November 1940 (at Perth WA)
Unit: No. 460 Squadron, RAF Breighton, Yorkshire
Died: Air Operations: (No. 460 Squadron Wellington aircraft Z1399), Germany, 26 July 1942, Aged 22 Years
Buried: Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Henry Peter and Mary Margaret Burgess, of Nedlands, Western Australia.
Roll of Honour: Nedlands WA
Remembered: Panel 107, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Cenotaph Undercroft, State War Memorial, Kings Park WA
Date: 25-26 July 1942
Target: Duisburg
Total Force: Dispatched – 313, Attacking – 252
RAAF Force: No. 460 Dispatched – 15, Attacking – 14
Tons of Bombs Dropped: 547
Total Aircraft Lost: 11
RAAF Aircraft Lost: No. 460 – 2
Four nights later (26 July 1942) weather again spoilt the attack, and RAAF crews were forced to bomb the most promising fires or gun positions in the estimated position of Duisburg. Subsequent photographic reconnaissance revealed additional devastation to factories, public and private property, but no large areas were destroyed.
Extracts from Herington, J. (John) (406545) Air War Against Germany and Italy 1939-1943, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, 1954 – Pages 326-7
Flying Officer Burgess and crew were detailed to operate Wellington Z 1399 against Duisberg Germany, on the night of 25/26 July 1942. The aircraft took off from RAF Station Breighton at 0030 hours on 26 July and since then nothing has been heard of the aircraft or crew. The aircraft was one of fifteen aircraft from the Squadron that took part in the raid. Post war it was established that the aircraft crashed near Duisberg, Germany.
The crew members of Z1399 were:
Sergeant Donald Bagley (1109333) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator Air Gunner)
Flight Lieutenant Clifford Henry Burgess (406344) (Pilot)
Sergeant James McPherson Milligan (1310076) (RAFVR) (Front Gunner)
Pilot Officer David Bruce Mills (407298) (Rear Gunner)
Flight Sergeant William Harrie Nettle (400330) (Observer)
No. 460 Squadron lost Lancaster Z1462 (Squadron Leader John William Edward Leighton MID (Twice) (40053) (RAF) (Pilot)) on 26 July 1944.
References:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records (RAAF Casualty Information compiled by Alan Storr (409804))
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
Department of Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 163/24/281
Bibliography:
Firkins, P. C. (Peter Charles) (441386) Strike and Return, Westward Ho Publishing City Beach WA, 1985