Clarence, a former electrical salesman, served as Wireless Operator and Air Gunner with North Africa Command. On 10 March 1943, he was aboard Martin Marauder I FK154 on a routine transit flight from Telergma to the squadron’s new base at Blida, as Allied forces advanced across North Africa.
En route, the aircraft encountered worsening weather. Battling limited visibility and deteriorating conditions, the crew lost control and FK154 came down in Algiers Harbour. There were no survivors.
Flight Sergeant Walkinshaw was officially recorded as “Killed while Flying”. His body was never recovered, and his name commemorated at Alamein Memorial, Egypt among more than 3,000 airmen of the Commonwealth who died in campaigns across the Middle East and North Africa and have no known grave.
