Arthur Clowes, (16 August 1912 – 7 December 1949) was a British flying ace who served with the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. He was credited with having shot down at least ten aircraft.
Born in Sawley, Derbyshire, Clowes joined the RAF in 1929 to train in ground crew duties. Qualifying as a metal rigger two years later, he subsequently trained as a pilot. Serving with No. 1 Squadron as a sergeant pilot at the time of the outbreak of the Second World War, he flew extensively during the Battle of France and the following aerial campaign over southeast England. During this time, he achieved several aerial victories and had been commissioned. After a period of instructing duties in mid-1941, he was given command of No. 79 Squadron. He later commanded fighter squadrons in Egypt and Libya but his operational flying career came to an end in September 1943 when he lost sight in one eye due to an accident. In the postwar period, he remained in the RAF in an administrative role but died of liver cancer in 1949, aged 37.
Early life
Arthur Victor Clowes was born in the Derbyshire town of Sawley on 16 August 1912. His father served in the First World War with the Sherwood Foresters, and was killed in action on 1 July 1917. Clowes, who went to Long Eaton Council Elementary School, joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) in early 1929 for training as ground crew. He qualified as a metal rigger in late 1931. He subsequently volunteered for training as a pilot and once he had gained his wings he was posted to No. 1 Squadron as a sergeant pilot.
At the time of his posting, No. 1 Squadron was based at Tangmere and operated the Hawker Fury fighter. In December 1937, Clowes was involved in a midair collision in December 1937 which saw two other pilots killed. The following year, the squadron began to reequip with the Hawker Hurricane fighter.
Second World War
At the beginning of September 1939, No. 1 Squadron was deployed to France as part of the Advanced Air Striking Force. By October it was operating from Vassincourt and patrolling the French-German border, occasionally engaging the Luftwaffe. On 23 November Clowes, who was nicknamed 'Taffy' was flying as part of a section of three Hurricanes which pursued a Heinkel He 111 medium bomber to the northeast of Saarbrücken. Immediately after he shot it down, a French Morane fighter collided with his Hurricane, damaging its tail. Clowes safely crash-landed back at the airfield at Vassincourt. While patrolling with his section near Metz on 29 March 1940, a group of Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighters was spotted; Clowes destroyed two while the other two pilots of the section claimed the third. This was the first success over a Bf 110 for RAF pilots and the commander of the RAF forces in France, Air Marshal Arthur Barratt, treated the section to dinner in Paris as a reward. He was promoted to flight sergeant shortly afterwards.
Battle of France
When the German invasion of France commenced on 10 May, No. 1 Squadron was immediately heavily engaged. Clowes was away in England on leave at the time, and did not rejoin his unit until a few days later. Promptly in action, he destroyed a Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter and a Junkers Ju 87 dive bomber on 14 May. He shared in the destruction of a He 111 near Rouen on 23 May, although this could not be confirmed. Over the following weeks, the squadron began to retreat, repeatedly shifting from airfield to airfield as it moved to the west. On 14 June, Clowes destroyed a Bf 109, by which time, the squadron was operating from Nantes. Later in the month, it was evacuated from France and reassembled at Tangmere. Clowes was mentioned in despatches on 11 July.
Battle of Britain
No. 1 Squadron, still based at Tangmere but shortly to move to the RAF station at Northolt, resumed operational duties in late July. On 16 August Clowes destroyed two Luftwaffe bombers, a He 111 and Junkers Ju 88 medium bomber respectively, over the South Downs. A few days later, in recognition of his services during the fighting in France, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal. This was gazetted on 20 August and the published citation read: