421946 Flying Officer Clifford Arnold Watson, 1909-1/9/1943. "considerable height was lost"

Clifford Watson was the navigator in a Royal Air Force Stirling heavy bomber  which took off on the night of August 31, 1943, to attack Berlin. Four Stirlings did not return that night.

I am indebted to the 75 Squadron blog for the following details of the action which ended in Clifford Watson's death:

Stirling Mk.III EE878 AA-P was badly damaged by flak and by night-fighter action near the target area. With the port inner engine out of action, and the port elevator only partially effective, considerable height was lost evading the fighter before control was regained. They were now almost out of fuel and at low level when the captain ordered the crew to bale out. Some of the crew succeeded in clearing the plane before it crash-landed at Ahrbruck, 7miles SW of Ahrweiler. The navigator and air bomber were killed when their parachutes failed to deploy in time. The pilot died at the controls. Those who died were buried at municipal cemetery at Mayschoss, but later re-interred in the Rheinberg War Cemetery, south of Wesel. The other four crew all survived but were captured as POW’s.

Clifford was posted as "missing" in October, 1943, and "missing, believed killed" the following month.

FOR THE EMPIRE’S CAUSE

WATSON. — On September 1, 1943. killed on air operations, Flying Officer Clifford Arnold, loved husband of Mavis Watson, Christchurch. (Buried in Mayschoss, Germany.)  -Otago Daily Times, 17/2/1944.

Andersons Bay Cemetery, Dunedin.