LEST WE FORGET
Flight Lieutenant Clifford Argo GILES DFC
Service No: 402334
Born: North Finchley, England, 25 October 1914
Enlisted in the RAAF: 19 August 1940 (at Sydney NSW)
Unit: No. 61 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Syerston
Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), 12 March 1943
Died: Air Operations: (No. 61 Squadron Lancaster aircraft W4903), Germany, 8 March 1943, Aged 28 Years
Buried: Durnbach War Cemetery, Bad Tolz Bayern, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of William Joseph and Agnes Jeane Giles, of Killara, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Killara NSW
Remembered: Panel 122, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Ku-ring-gai World War 2 Book of Remembrance, Gordon NSW
DFC Citation: Flight Lieutenant Giles has displayed great skill as a navigator throughout many sorties. By his quiet confidence and excellent example, he has raised and maintained squadron navigation to a high level. Recently as captain/navigator he successfully led two new crews in a raid on Berlin in January 1943. Flight Lieutenant Giles’ courageous leadership has been beyond praise. (London Gazette 12 March 1943 Page 1188)
At 1930 hours on the night of 8 March 1943 Lancaster W4903 took off from Syerston detailed to bomb Nuremburg, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. It was believed that the aircraft crashed in the vicinity of Furth a large town north west of Nuremburg. All the crew members were killed.
The crew members of W4903 were:
Pilot Officer Kenneth Douglas Babington-Browne (50038) (RAF) (Navigator)
Sergeant Edward Carr (998856) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Douglas Forbes (973384) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Flight Lieutenant Clifford Argo Giles DFC (402334) (Pilot)
Pilot Officer Bernard John Gunter (131992) (RAF) (Air Bomber)
Flight Sergeant George Mitchell (616838) (RAF) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Flying Officer Francis Richards (106862) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
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 Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 163/34/150
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line