137 The Royal Canadian Legion MANITOBA & NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO COMMAND www.mbnwo.ca McMANUS, Clifford Neil WWII Clifford joined the Royal Canadian Air force in August 1942, in Winnipeg, at the age of 21 years old. He obtained his initial training at Manning Depot in Brandon then spent two months in the War Emergency Training School in Winnipeg to upgrade his education. The school gave a condensed course in math, physics, and English. After completion, he was posted to the RCAF holding unit in Paulson, Manitoba, then to I.T.S. as L.A.C., Air Crew (Leading Air Craftsman). On July 24, 1943, his training continued at #5 Bombing and Gunnery School in Dafoe, Saskatchewan, followed by a posting to #7 Air Observer School at Portage la Prairie. The following November, he graduated from #7 Air Observer School and got his commission, P/O (Pilot Officer) Bombardier. His next posting was to Lachine, Quebec. He then spent two weeks at Three Rivers, near Truro, Nova Scotia, and a few weeks at the RCAF holding unit. He waited in Rockcliffe, Ontario for an overseas posting. In April 1944, he was posted overseas and sailed on the Empress of Scotland, formerly the Empress of Japan. The name changed because of Japan’s entry into the war against the Allies. They landed in Liverpool, England, and took the train to Bournemouth, where they were billeted in former luxury hotels situated near the shore. His next posting was to Gloucester, which was a holding unit for air crew. He then went to the Air Force Unit at Dumfries, where he trained in navigation. Upon graduation, he was promoted to Flying Officer (F/O) and posted to #86 Operational Training Unit at Gamston, which was close to Nottingham-Robin Hood Country. There, all air crew were then crewed up except Flight Engineers. He left #86 in August 1944, and was posted to #1659 Heavy Conversion Unit in Topcliffe in Yorkshire. He was then posted to #432 Squadron at Eastmoor near the city of York. Crews were now ready for air operations over enemy territory. Their first operational flight was carried out in daylight on December 24, 1944. Flight Sergeant Proud was their pilot, flying Halifax I.O.S. (sugar) (four-engine bomber), target was the airfield at Dusseldorf, Germany. Their load consisted of 9-1000, 2-500 and 32-250 lb. bombs. En route to target, fire broke out in the aircraft and destroyed the radio. Shortly after this, their back-up radio, “Darkey”, went unserviceable when a generator burned out. Despite the loss of both radios, they were able to bomb Dusseldorf Airport. They missed all the flak. At one point on that mission, he saw five chutes coming out of the aircraft, ahead of the plane he was in. The crew was undoubtedly killed by enemy fire before they ever hit the ground. On landing at Liton-on-Ouse, the aerodrome was socked in heavy fog. Having no radio, ground control was unable to inform them of this. On the second circuit, they landed through heavy cloud layer, colliding with a fully-bombed spare aircraft, tearing off its tail fin and rudder. Clifford made 31 ops over Germany; the number required to complete a tour. Besides their first one, Dusseldorf, they made bombing trips over Opladen, Troisdorf, Cologne, Ludwigshafen, Hanover, Hanau, Stuttgart, Goch (an army strike – at 5,000 ft), Wanne-Eickel, Bohlen, Chemnitz (twice), Weasel, Mainz, Mannheim, Hemmingstedt, Dortmund, Wuppertal, Zweibrucken, Hagen, Witten, Rheine, Dorten, Gladbeck, Munster and Hamburg (last trip March 1945 – a daylight raid).Walter Dinsdale (born in Brandon, Progressive Conservative MP from 1951-82) was above them on that raid. They flew at 22,000 feet on most trips. One of Cliff’s most memorable trips was operational flight #12 in 1945, flying Halifax Q O-H. They carried 8-250 and 10-500 lb. bombs. The was Wanne-Eickel, Germany. Coming in over target, he discovered that he had no airspeed reading. He contacted the pilot, P/O Proud, and he said, his was also reading zero. Clifford had to guess at the airspeed so the bomb drop may not have been very accurate. On return to the base, the engine motor oil temperature was showing a very high reading. That engine had to be shut off and the prop “feathered”. Number 3 engine also began to overheat but they were able to slow it down and keep it running. After landing safely at Eastmore, it was discovered that propaganda leaflets had collected on both port engines and the pilot head. Another aircraft ahead of them had the leaflets on their bomb doors. Clifford came home on the Ile de France. He landed in New York, took the train to Lachine, Quebec, then had a month leave at home. Following this, he went to Stevenson Field in Winnipeg, then to Brandon holding unit, where he stayed until V. J. Day. A few weeks after the end of the Japanese war, he returned to Winnipeg for his discharge as Flying Officer. Clifford attended university in Winnipeg and studied agriculture, after which he went farming in the Basswood area. In 1950, he married Muriel Stitt, a teacher at Cameron School. Clifford was a Life Member of The Royal Canadian Legion Minnedosa Branch 138, enjoyed curling and played baseball with the Cameron Club. He received the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp, Defence Medal, France and Germany Star, 1939-1945 Star, War Medal 1939-1945, Bomber Command Medal 1939-1945 and Operational Wings. Clifford passed away in 2014.
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