Paul Henry Klipsch (1916-1940)
Reginald Wynn-Owen, through his second marriage also acquired a step-son, Paul Henry Klipsch. Lily Mabel had previously been married to Frederick Arthur Klipsch who in 1915 had been a motor engineer in charge of a large motor repair works in Liverpool. That year he was attached to the West Lancs N.R. and subsequently the 5th Btn., Liverpool Regt T.F. but he begged to join the Royal Flying Corps, where he served for three years until he was gazetted on 26 December 1918. After the war he never returned to his wife and child. He married for a third time in 1921 and in 1930 he sailed, alone, from Liverpool bound for New Zealand, almost certainly to join his son from his first marriage, Thomas Arthur Klipsch (b 1908). (Click here for Klipsch family history.)
Paul Klipsch was born in May 1916 [W Derby 1916, 2nd qt]. Although he was away at boarding school after his mother’s second marriage he got on very well with his step-brother and sisters; he was very much part of the family. He had a miserable time at C.B Fry’s school, HMS Mercury, then went as a cadet to RAF Holton, going on to join the RAF, like his father, as a mechanic. He served in the Middle East but he fulfilled his dream and became one of the few non-commissioned pilots at that time; he was a sergeant. He joined 92 Squadron and flew his first combat mission on 23 May 1940 to help cover the retreating British troops prior to the Dunkerque evacuation. He was shot down and killed. Thus he returned to the land of his forefathers; his grandfather, Arthur Andre Klipsch, had settled in England having been born in Bordeaux where his family had been involved in wine production since early in the 19th century.
In June 1998 the ‘Time Team’ archaeologists dug up Paul’s plane and tried to deduce what had happened to Paul that day. Eric, his son and I went over to France for the week of the dig, which is described here and you can see the programme here (sorry about the adverts). This was about six months before Eric's death. (see pictures above right)