Kettley, Clifford John Vosper

Date of birth:: October 6th, 1919 (Khedive/Saskatchewan, Canada)
Date of death:: July 25th, 1943 (Ten Boer, the Netherlands)
Buried on:: Commonwealth War Graves Protestant Cemetery Ten Boer
Grave: 25.
Service number:: R/97604
Nationality:: Canadian

Biography

Clifford was born on October 6 1919 in Khedive Saskatchewan, the son of Clifford Hastings Kettley and Rosalie Kettley nee Vosper (both British) of Mission City, British Columbia. He had one brother and one sister died at age 2.

He was an employee of the Canadian Canners and member of the Church of England. His sports were lacrosse and basketball and his hobby was mechanics.

He enlisted on March 12 1941 in Vancouver and he went on April 30 1942 thereafter from Canada overseas to the UK.

Clifford was killed in action on Sunday July 25 1943 age 23 due to a crash between the Thesingerlaan and Ten Boer before or after an attack on Essen in Germany. The other fallen RCAF crew members were F/O Alexander P. McCracken age 21 in grave 26, P/O Michael S. Smyth age 25 in grave 27, F/O Marcel E. Tomczak age 23. in grave 26 and F/Sgt Edward K.E. White age 20 in grave 24. The other fallen RAF crew member was Sgt Albert J. Wood in grave 26. The other RCAF crew member F/Lt Alexander J. Sochowski survived the crash and he became then a prisoner of war and he also survived the war.

On his headstone: ALWAYS REMEMBERED

A street sign was also honoured to him in 2006 in Mission and an information sign is since 2021 near the crash site with information about the crash.

He served with the 405 Sqdn Royal Canadian Air Force.

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