LEST WE FORGET

Flight Sergeant James Wharton Severn FISHER

Service No: 422477
Born: Cessnock NSW, 21 January 1917
Enlisted in the RAAF: 22 May 1942
Unit: No. 142 Squadron (RAF), Foggia, Italy
Died: Air Operations: (No. 142 Squadron Wellington aircraft HF764), Italy, 16 March 1944, Aged 27 Years
Buried: Bari War Cemetery, Italy
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Henry Heath Fisher and Cecilia Ellen Fisher; husband of Gladys Marjorie Fisher, of Five Dock, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Sydney NSW
Remembered: Panel 122, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT

On the night of 15 March 1944Wellington HF764 took off from Foggia, detailed to bomb the marshalling yards at Sofia, Bulgaria. The aircraft was returning from the mission and at 0458 hours on 16 March asked for landing instructions. These were given and the reception was weak. No reply was received from the aircraft. At about 0515 hours at dawn the aircraft crashed into a hillside 20 miles due west of Foggia. Three of the crew members were killed and two were injured.

The crew members of HF764 were:

Flight Sergeant James Wharton Severn Fisher (422477) (Navigator)
Sergeant Charles Richard Carlton Hoddinott (940008) (RAFVR) (Bomb Aimer)
Sergeant James Butler Morton (1322416) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator Air)
Flight Sergeant Roy William O’Malley (35255) (Pilot) Injured, Discharged from the RAAF: 18 January 1946
Sergeant W H S Tite (1454291) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner) Injured

References:

Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records (RAAF Casualty Information compiled by Alan Storr (409804))
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
Department of Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 1166/13/202

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