LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer James Brian MAHER
Service No: 402517
Born: Sydney NSW, 8 August 1916
Enlisted in the RAAF: 16 September 1940
Unit: No. 115 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Witchford
Died: Air Operations: Bombing Technique (No. 115 Squadron Wellington aircraft X3341), Germany, 28 March 1942, Aged 25 Years
Buried: Becklingen Wear Cemetery, Soltau, Niedersachsen, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of James and Ellen Johanna Maher, of Mosman, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 126, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 1953 hours on the night of 28 March 1942 Wellington X3341 took off from Marham detailed to bomb Lubeck, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. A Missing Research and Enquiry team reported “the aircraft crashed in a wood at Klecken 2 miles south west of Hamburg.” All the crew members were killed.
The crew members of X3341 were:
Sergeant William Ballard (1377131) (RAFVR) (Second Pilot)
Sergeant Edward Bolton Lawrence (1283153) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Flying Officer James Brian Maher (402517) (Observer)
Sergeant Herbert Lloyd Suckling (1258955) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Pilot Officer John Allan Weller (404518) (Pilot)
Sergeant Patrick Wilson (619929) (RAF) (Air Gunner)
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, 166/44/135