Many of our members will undoubtedly be familiar with The Beachcombers, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's  Television show that ran for 19 seasons, was shown in 37 countries and translated into five languages. What you may not know is that Robert Clothier, who played "Relic," was a 408 Squadron Halifax pilot with the RCAF during WWII. The photo is of his crew. 




"Relic's" 408 Squadron Crew, L-R:
FlO L. Corbeil -Bomb Aimer; Sgt J. McCart -Flight Engineer; F/Lt B. Austen -Wireless Operator; F/O S. DeZorzi -Navigator;
FlLt Robert Clothier -Pilot; Ft/Lt T. Murdoch -Mid-Upper Gunner; F/O B. Fitzgerald -Rear Gunner.


CBC's Relic with his WW2 aircrew

First Canadians in France

Mission:	Berlin, Germany
Date:	30/31st January 1944
Unit:	 No. 467 Squadron R.A.A.F.
Type:	 Lancaster I
Serial:	 DV378
Coded:	 PO-C
Location:	 Target area
Pilot:	 F/O. Alexander Douglas Riley 3717 R.A.A.F. Age; 28, Killed

Fl/Eng:	 Sgt. Sidney Webb Tupper 1607041 R.A.A.F. Killed

Nav:	 Fl/Sgt. Norman William Allen 658419 R.A.F.V.R. Age; 23, Killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr:	 P/O. John Nixon 171083 R.A.F.V.R. Killed

Air/Bmr:	 W/O II Jan R Valastin R/017055 R.C.A.F. P.O.W. (Interned in camps L6/L4. P.O.W. No: 1189)

Air/Gnr(Mid):	 W/O II. Clifford Stanley Baker R/146764 R.C.A.F. Age; 23, Killed

Air/Gnr(Rear):	 Sgt. Fred Barrett 1516278 R.A.F.V.R.Age; 22, Killed

REASON FOR LOSS:
Lancaster DV378 took off from RAF Waddington at 1712 hours on the night of 30/31st January 1944 to bomb Berlin. Bomb load 1 x 4000lb, 64 x 30lb, 1200 x 4lb incendiaries. 
Nothing was heard from DV378 after take off and the aircraft did not return to base. Ten aircraft from the Squadron took part in the raid and one of these, DV378 failed to return.
Post war it was established that the aircraft exploded following a direct hit from flak and crashed in the target area. W/O. Valastin became a P.O.W. and the remaining six crew members were killed. They are buried in the 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Berlin.  
In a later statement W/O. Valastin said “I was beside F/O. Riley in part of the aircraft which received direct fire from the enemy. I myself was hit but have no definite knowledge as to whether he was hit. A few seconds later the aircraft went into a spin. He was still in his position when I was preparing to bale out and when the aircraft exploded. I was informed two weeks later by an unknown German officer at Dulag Luft that F/O. Riley had been killed.”  W/O II Jan R Valastin returned to the United Kingdom after the end of WW2 on the 20th April 1945 and then returned to Canada. He left the Canadian Armed forces on the 6th May 1946 and died on the 3rd February 1993.  The above photo is of the crew of Lancaster DV378 leaving ME575 on an earlier mission. ME575 PO-G was also lost on a Berlin raid on the 27/28-01-44. (P/O. Grugeon and all his crew killed)
Crew: Top to bottom and left to right: Air/Bmr W/O. Jan Valastin, Fl/Eng. Sgt. Sidney Tupper, W/Op/Air Gnr. P/O. John Nixon, Nav. Fl/Sgt. Norman Allen, Air/Gnr. Sgt. Fred Barrett, Air/Gnr. W/O. Clifford Baker, Pilot. F/O. Alexander Riley.  
Burial Details:
Alexander Douglas Riley	Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery. Grave 7.K.9.
Son of Arthur Cecil and Georgina, husband of M. E. Riley, of McMahon's Point, N.S.W.
 
Sidney Webb Tupper	 Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery. Grave 7.K.10.
No further details as yet.

Norman William Allen	 Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery. Grave 7.K.11.
Son of Walter William and Mabel Maud, of Hunstanton, Norfolk.

John Nixon	 Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery. Grave 7.K.8.
No further details as yet.

Clifford Stanley Baker	 Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery. Grave 7.K.7.
Son of Ernest H. Baker and Ophelia W. of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Fred Barrett	 Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery. Grave 7.K.12.
Son of Percy and Annie of Harehills, Leeds, Yorkshire.
