LEST WE FORGET
Pilot Officer James Arthur HASTE
Service No: 417074
Born: Maylands SA, 4 April 1923
Enlisted in the RAAF: 6 December 1941
Unit: No. 61 Squadron (RAF), RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire
Died: Air Operations (No. 61 Squadron Lancaster aircraft R5734), Belgium, 31 March 1944, Aged 20 Years
Buried: Heverlee War Cemetery, Leuven, Vlaams-Brabant, Belgium
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Dr. Reginald Arthur Haste and Dorothy Edith Haste, of Maylands, South Australia
Roll of Honour: St Peters SA
Remembered: Panel 123, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: World War II Honour Roll, National War Memorial of SA, North Terrace, Adelaide
Lancaster R5734 took off from RAF Coningsby at 2207 hours on the night of 30/31st March 1944, detailed to bomb Nuremburg, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. When homebound and flying north of track, the aircraft was shot down and crashed at Monin (Namur), 4 kms north east of Ciney, Belgium. All the crew members were killed.
The crew members of R5734 were:
Flight Sergeant John Victor Groves (1387958) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Pilot Officer James Arthur Haste (417074) (Pilot
Sergeant William Norton James (1338403) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant Roy Colin Mills (1320716) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Sergeant Frederick Walter Skelcher (962849) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Sergeant Basil Nutley (1234174) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Flying Officer Richard Arthur Whitaker (138797) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
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 Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/17/521