Background
Payton was born in Walsall, Staffordshire, the second of ten children of The Reverend Joseph Wattson Payton (b 1861), vicar of Calton, Staffordshire, and his wife Elizabeth Croyden (née Tildesley) (1869–1943).
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Clement Clement Wattson Payton Distinguished Flying Cross
Edit ProfileCareer
Payton joined the Royal Flying Corps as a cadet, and was commissioned as a temporary second lieutenant (on probation) on 17 November 1917. On 4 February 1918 he was granted Royal Aeronautical Club Aviator"s Certificate Number. 5703 and also confirmed in his rank.
Payton was posted to Number.
210 Squadron Royal Air Force as a Sopwith Camel fighter pilot in France in April 1918. His first success came on 20 May, when he drove down a German Albatros Doctorate.V fighter out of control over Menen, Belgium.
The next day, with squadron mates Solomon Clifford Joseph and Albert Leslie Jones, he destroyed a German observation balloon at Pont Riquen. On 26 May, another Albatros Doctorate.V fell under his guns.
The following day, he and Lawrence Coombes, drove down a Pfalz Doctorate.III fighter over Bailleul.
On 1 June 1918 he and Coombes shared in the destruction of a German two-seater reconnaissance aircraft, and Payton joined Coombes as an ace. On 15 June, Payton drove down an Albatros Doctorate.V out of action. The last of these wins, on 1 October 1918, left Payton with a tally of one balloon and two enemy aircraft destroyed (shared), and five enemy aircraft destroyed, and three driven down out of control solo.
He is buried in Plot World War II B. 6, Harelbeke New British Cemetery, Belgium.
Achievements
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His Distinguished Flying Cross was gazetted two months after his death, on 3 December 1918. His citation read: Lieutenant Clement Wattson Payton. "A gallant and skilful pilot who has himself destroyed two enemy machines and driven down two out of control. Assisted by other pilots, he has also accounted for four others On 23 August, in a bombing raid, one of our machines, compelled to descend owing to engine trouble, was heavily engaged by anti-aircraft fire. Observing this, Lieutenant Payton, with great courage, attacked the hostile batteries at a very low altitude, silencing several of them. He was also posthumously awarded the Belgian Croix de guerre on 15 July 1919.
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Born
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Died
October 2, 1918 (aged 21) -
Nationality
United Kingdom