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Post by errolmartyn on Jan 5, 2015 13:30:00 GMT 12
Errol, F. N. Clouston is commemorated on the Upper Moutere War memorial. He was born there, as the links that Tony provided state, rather than Motueka. The late 1940s bio on him compiled by the RNZAF, presumably drawing on RAF records, states that he was born at Motueka. Ditto Thompson's official history of NZers with the RAF. Have you sighted his birth cert by any chance (possibly he was born Upper Moutere but birth registered at Motueka)? Errol |
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Post by nuuumannn on Jan 5, 2015 13:43:10 GMT 12
Not seen his birth cert, but I am aware that a lot of people born in the area, including the Mot Valley where I live were registered as born in Motueka, when they were from the likes of small towns in Tasman. This includes William Hamm of the Great War commemmorated on the Ngatimoti war memorial; he was born in Pokororo across the river from my place, but is listed as being born in Motueka. I've been told that this is because their births were registered at the nearest post office, which for those communites was in Motueka. Clouston's mother might or might not have physically given birth to him in Mot, but, I imagine it wasn't a quick 15 minute drive from Upper Moutere to Mot then as it is now. I'm not even sure there was a hospital in Mot at that time.
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Post by errolmartyn on Jan 9, 2015 10:49:40 GMT 12
Errol, F. N. Clouston is commemorated on the Upper Moutere War memorial. He was born there, as the links that Tony provided state, rather than Motueka. The late 1940s bio on him compiled by the RNZAF, presumably drawing on RAF records, states that he was born at Motueka. Ditto Thompson's official history of NZers with the RAF. Have you sighted his birth cert by any chance (possibly he was born Upper Moutere but birth registered at Motueka)? Errol Can now advise that FNC's birth was registered at Motueka on 12 Mar 13, the register stating 'when and where born - January 27th 1913, Motueka'. His dad, who provided the information to the court, was Nelson-born Robert Edmund Clouston, mining engineer of Motueka. Errol |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 10, 2015 21:53:44 GMT 12
I have just received the following tonight from Graeme McConnell via email:
"Hi Dave,
I regularly follow what's going on on the Wings Over New Zealand forum and have some additional information relating to Falcon Nelson Clouston on the above thread.
In our recent book, "The Story of Nelson Aviation", that I and my co-author Richard Waugh wrote just over a year ago now, we have at the end of Chapt.5, (pp. 139-143), listings of all known Nelson Aviation War Dead.
The listings are grouped under which local war memorials, by location, the names are inscribed on.
As well as F.N. Clouston's name appearing on the Moutere District War Memorial (correct name), at Upper Moutere, as mentioned in Grant Newman's recent post dated 5 January 2015 , his name is also listed on three other local war memorials.
These are - the Moutere Hills District War Memorial at Mapua, the Motueka War Memorial at Motueka and the Bainham War Memorial at Bainham, past Collingwood near the start of the Heaphy Track in Golden Bay.
In the 1920s, the Clouston children attended Bainham School before the family shifted to the Motueka- Moutere area.
Also, our book has a detailed feature on Arthur Clouston on pages 90-91.
Trust this extra information is of interest.
Cheers,
Graeme McConnell..
Co-author of - "The Story of Nelson Aviation"
" " " - "NAC - The Illustrated History of New Zealand National Airways Corporation, 1947-1978"
" " " - "Taking Off - Pioneering Small Airlines of New Zealand, 1945-1970"
" " " - "Strait Across - The Pioneering Story of Cook Strait Aviation"
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Post by nuuumannn on Jan 20, 2015 15:27:52 GMT 12
Thanks Errol. So much for local knowledge, then? Further from Graeme's mail to Dave, here are a couple of pics of the memorials local to me with F.N. Clouston's name on them at Motueka and Upper Moutere. I've yet to go look at the one in Mapua. When I was at the start of the Heaphy Track a year or so ago, I never thought to look at the Bainham memorial, even though my wife and I stopped at the Bainham store for tea and bikkies. Motueka War Memorial next to the public library. Note Clouston's name third from the top in the second image.   The Great War plaque of the Mot memorial also lists William Arthur Ham, which I mentioned earlier as being from Pokororo on the west bank of the Motueka River across from Ngatimoti, but is listed as being born in Mot, although again, local knowledge says he was born locally.  The Upper Moutere Memorial outside the new Moutere Community centre, which suffered an electrical fire a few years back, but has since reopened.  The WW2 list showing Clouston. Note other names in common with the Motueka list above.  Note also that Clouston's is the only non-Teutonic sounding name. This is because Upeer Moutere was originally settled by German Lutherans expelled from the very Anglican city of Nelson back in the 1800s and was originally named Sarau. The cemetery next to the still Lutheran church in Upper Moutere is filled with the Bensemann, Eggers and Drogemuller families, German settlers who brought all manner of sins to the local area, such as tobacco, wine and beer. Of these crops, grape and hops still grow in abundance in the region, but the defunct tobacco industry leaves only rusty tobacco drying sheds as a tangible reminder of the vast plantations that grew in the area. The grand children of these guys still live locally, the Eggers' on Gardiner Valley Road, not far from a certain Mister Smith with his own collection of old aeroplane bits (Note, Smith doesn't live on Gardiner Valley Road, although peculiarly there is the tail section of a Fairchild Metro airliner sitting incongrously in a field).  I digress... |
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Post by hawkeye77 on May 24, 2015 10:06:42 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 4, 2016 1:11:58 GMT 12
NEW ZEALAND BROTHERS IN FIGHTER SQUADRON: Squadron-Leader W. Clouston, D.F.C., of Wellington, demonstrating aerial tactics to members of his squadron by means of model aircraft. His brother, Pilot-Officer J. Clouston, is looking over the squadron-leader's right shoulder. (New Zealand Herald, 6 September 1941)  |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 24, 2017 10:56:32 GMT 12
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Post by jp on Nov 25, 2017 7:53:52 GMT 12
Surely, if this did happen, and the millionaire was serious, after being turned down he would have asked someone else? By 1938 there must have been more than a few anti-Hitler Jewish sympathisers that could have been approached...
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 25, 2017 8:01:10 GMT 12
But not that many with access to a DH88 Comet, and RAF experience, I guess.
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Post by jp on Nov 25, 2017 10:52:42 GMT 12
True - but he could have bought a bomber for less than a million pounds - one with a bomb sight.....precision bombing in 1938 didn't really exist.... somewhat ironically, the closest aircraft to a precision bomber at that time was probably the Ju-87....
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 26, 2017 16:01:36 GMT 12
True. It does all seem a bit fanciful.
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Post by nuuumannn on Nov 28, 2017 2:30:23 GMT 12
Isn't it mentioned in Dangerous Skies? Could be wrong, but I can remember reading about that somewhere else.
Damned photobucket...
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 29, 2017 10:38:53 GMT 12
Grant, go to Chrome Extensions and search "Photobucket", you can get free apps that make the photos reappear.
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Post by annelamport on Apr 25, 2018 12:28:11 GMT 12
Hi I am the eldest daughter of John Greville Clouston. I live in Brisbane Australia. My sister Susan lives in Auckland Nz. My email is annelamport@bigpond.com.
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Post by suziegrev on Mar 7, 2019 6:04:13 GMT 12
Good day everyone, I stumbled across this thread as I am looking for surviving relatives of Sq/L John Greville Clouston - I'm not sure if any information about him appears on this forum but in brief he was killed on the 21st of June '44 whilst flying with 165 sqdn. 12 Spits on mission 'Rodeo' took out a JU88 - all four crew of the JU88 were killed. Two of the Spits then had problems (possibly because of Flak batts at Morlaix and F/L Alexander Davidson May ran out of fuel about 5 kms from Cap Lizard - he bailed out but his parachute failed to open. Meanwhile, John Greville Clouston's Merlin overheated and so he bailed out and was subsequently taken prisoner. Tragically, late on in June as the heat was one, on the 21st, as prisoners were being transferred in lorries towards Tours train station for eventual transit to Germany, the column was machine gunned by an American plane and Clouston was killed. I live in France (not far from these areas) and I occasionally help a local association who dedicate their time to researching crashes and finding relatives and putting up memorials. I was rather hoping that one of you chaps might be able to dig around for me? Any help would be much appreciated. I have so far managed to find out that his parents were Allan Wilson Clouston and Violet Clouston of Wellington City. His #NZ40218 and he is now buried in the Nantes (Pont-du-Cens) Communal Cemetery, plot L, row D, grave 20. It would be nice to tell surviving family members about what we are doing and how the memory of their relative is being perpetuated. Regards John |
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Post by suziegrev on Mar 7, 2019 6:08:10 GMT 12
I am the youngest daughter of John Grenville Clouston. I live in Auckland and my sister Anne Elizabeth Lamport lives in Brisbane. My email is suziegrev@gmail.com
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Post by chbessexboy on Mar 7, 2019 6:13:15 GMT 12
Are you in touch with Richard Clouston, son of Wilf, here in Central Hawkes Bay New Zealand? I can forward your contact details if not.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 20, 2020 13:01:37 GMT 12
WELLINGTON BROTHERS IN N.Z. SQUADRON.Squadron Leader W. G. Clouston, D.F.C. (right), with his brother, Pilot Officer J. G. Clouston. PRESS, 25 JULY 1941 
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 22, 2021 11:05:47 GMT 12
THRILLING COMBAT
NEW ZEALANDER’S SUCCESS
(Official Wireless) (Received Dec. 22, 11.40 a.m.) RUGBY, Dec. 21
Lively engagements against greatly superior formations of enemy aircraft were fought in the Bay of Biscay by two Liberators operating with the Coastal Command. A British Liberator captained by Wing-Commander A. E. Clouston, D.F.C., a New Zealander famous as a pre-war test pilot, was on an antisubmarine patrol when it was intercepted by four twin-engined aircraft believed to be Junkers 88’s and had a combat with them lasting 50 minutes in half-moonlight.
Wing-Commander Clouston said: “My gunners saved the day for us by reporting the enemy position smartly each time that they attacked. One time both our turrets jammed and two members of the crew had to swing the top turret round by hand. The enemy attempted one formation attack after another, but because of the fine work by the gunners none of them was successful.”
The combat was ended when the Liberator took evasive action in the clouds. It suffered only slight damage.
The other engagement took place when a Liberator of the United States Naval Squadron fought eight Junkers 88’s. The Liberator, after 15 minutes’ combat, left one Junkers diving toward the sea, smoking heavily. The Liberator sustained neither casualties nor damage.
WAIKATO TIMES, 22 DECEMBER 1943
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