Picknell died in 1943, and Clough's house was bombed in the same year and his lathe stolen – as pieces of pipes he was working on were also stolen, he must still have been an active pipemaker until this time. Clough also made reeds – there is a tradition that he made drone reeds from pieces of a bead curtain from the home of his wife Nancy's parents.
Picknell perished in 1943, and Clough's abode was attacked in the same year, causing the theft of his lathe – along with parts from pipes he was working on being swiped, it is evident that he remained an active pipemaker until this point. Furthermore, Clough crafted reeds; a tradition suggests that he fashioned drone reeds from fragments of a curtain hanging in the home of his wife Nancy's parents.