LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant James Maxwell GIBSON
Service No: 405442
Born: Bundaberg QLD, 18 December 1907
Enlisted in the RAAF: 29 March 1941
Unit: No. 150 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Snaith
Died: (Prisoner of War) Injuries (from the loss of No. 150 Squadron Wellington aircraft X3414), Belgium, 25 August 1942, Aged 34 Years
Buried: Brussels Town Cemetery, Vlaams-Brabant, Belgium
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Arthur John and Mary Gibson; husband of Ellwynne Millicent Gibson, of Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Bundaberg QLD
Remembered: Panel 122, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Wellington X3414 took off from Snaith at 2040 hours on the night of 24/25 August 1942 detailed to bomb Frankfurt, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft was shot down by a night fighter at 0001 hours on the 25August 1942 and crashed 3 kms west of Rienne, which is 30kms south of Dinant. The aircraft exploded after the crash. Three of the crew members were killed in the crash, Flight Sergeant Gibson was injured and Sergeant Dolton became a Prisoner of War. Flight Sergeant Gibson died of his injuries a few hours later while being transported to hospital.
The crew members of X3414 were:
Flight Sergeant David Leslie Thomas Craig (540596) (RAF) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant F Dolton (543992) (RAF) (Air Gunner) PoW
Sergeant Adam Brodie Fraser (951573) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant James Maxwell Gibson (405442) (Observer)
Sergeant James Henry Scorer (1113760) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
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, 163/117/195