In Bayeux War Cemetery, France is the Commonwealth War Grave of 159223 Flying Officer (Air Gunner) Hilary Daniel Clark, serving with the 49 Squadron Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, who died 10/06/1944.

Brenda McMahon has submitted the following:-

Hilary was born January 13th 1916, the youngest son of Daniel and Sarah Clark.

In 1939 Hilary was a Police Constable living at 153 Burn Park Road, Houghton le Spring with the Beswick family.

His parents Daniel, born 1873,a Colliery overman, and Sarah, born 1871, were living at Pit Row, Byermoor.

In late 1939 Hilary married Moira B Henry.

Hilary’s probate records give an address of 13 Derwent View, Burnopfield and Winifred Mary Clark (his sister born 1901) as the Administrator.

Simon Glancey has submitted the following:

F/O Clark was killed when Avro Lancaster III ND533 EA-M of 49 Squadron was lost on a mission to bomb the rail junction at Etampes. The Lancaster crashed about 1-mile north of Rosay-sur-Lieure, with the loss of six of the seven crew. The seventh member of the crew, F/O P. D. Hemmens, was taken Prisoner of War and died at Buchenwald Concentration Camp.

<i>Royal Air Force Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War: </i> 1944; W.R. Chorley; 1997; Midland Counties Publications; ISBN 0 904597 91 1, page 269

John Jones has added further details:

49 Squadron Lancaster III ND533 KA-M

Etampes Railway Junction.  Took off from RAF Fiskerton at 21:36.  Claim by Hptm Heinz-Horst Hissbach 5/NJG2 – Etrepagny area (UD-TD): 2,000m at 00:38.

<i>(Nachtjagd Combat Archives 1944</i>Part 3 – Theo Boiten

Crashed 2km North of Rosay-sur-Lieure (Eure) 9km North of Ecouis. 

Fg Off Hemmens survived the crash at La Villenaise and was taken to the house of resistant Huguette Verhague. There he stayed for a few weeks being hidden in the loft of her hen house only to be collected with others by someone posing as a resistant and was then deposited at the headquarters of the Gestapo in Paris. He later died in captivity due to blood poisoning in a wound he received due to the crash at Buchenwald on 18 October 1944. This was further complicated by rheumatic fever and pneumonia. He has no known grave.

Crew
Pilot: 151471 Fg Off Bryan Esmond Bell – Bayeux War Cemetery Plot XVI Row C Collective Grave 10.
Flight Engineer: 1810022 Sgt Sydney Charles Holmes – Marissel French National Cemetery Grave 248.
Navigator: A/425178 Fg Off Duncan MacFadyen RAAF – Bayeux War Cemetery Plot XVI Row C Collective Grave 10.
Bomb Aimer: 152583 Fg Off Philip Derek Hemmens – Runnymede Memorial Panel 206.
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner: 1521290 Sgt John Holden – Bayeux War Cemetery Plot XVI Row C Collective Grave 10.
Mid Upper Gunner: 159223 Plt Off Hilary Daniel Clark – Bayeux War Cemetery Plot XVI Row C Collective Grave 10.
Rear Gunner: 1281835 Sgt Joseph John Reed – Bayeux War Cemetery Plot XVI Row C Collective Grave 10.

Hilary Daniel Clark is remembered in Durham on D47.175, at Burnopfield on B155.01, at Byermoor on B158.02 and at Houghton le Spring on H132.03