BANFIELD Clive Walter

Appears on the Royal Air Force casualties list for Worcestershire.

The birth of Clive Walter Banfield is registered in the March Quarter 1906 under the Tenbury Registration District. The marriage of Clive W. Banfield to Hilda J. Howells is registered in the June Quarter 1943 under the Tenbury Registration District.

1911 Census
27 Teme Street, Tenbury
Walter Banfield, head, age 40, tobacconist, born Tenbury, Worcestershire
Emily Banfield, wife, age 36, married 14 years, 4 children all still living, assisting in business, born Greet, Shropshire
Nancy Banfield, daughter, age 13, born Tenbury, Worcestershire
Ada Banfield, daughter, age 12, school, born Tenbury, Worcestershire
Grace Banfield, daughter, age 10, school, born Tenbury, Worcestershire
Clive Banfield, son, age 5, born Tenbury, Worcestershire

On 11/12th April 1944 eleven Lancaster bomber aircraft from 514 squadron formed part of large formation of 341 aircraft tasked with bombing Aachen, Germany. They were supported by 11 Mosquitoes. The weather was fair with broken cloud and the raid was described as ‘accurate and caused widespread damage’.  It was Aachen’s most serious raid of the war. A total of nine Lancasters were lost, one was from 514 squadron.  LL639 JI-R crashed in Belgium with the loss of six of the crew, and one Prisoner of War (Sergeant E.L. Hulmes, navigator).

Clive Banfield’s name and rank/unit is listed in the dedication of the memorial in Tenbury Parish Church which took place on Thursday 27th October 1949 at 7 p.m. The memorial was unveiled by Flt Lieutenant Edward Ashley, DFC. The names are listed and their ranks/units have been handwritten on to sheet. The document can be found within war records held at Worcestershire Archives.