LEST WE FORGET
Flight Lieutenant John Joseph MAHONEY
Service No: 273734
Born: Brisbane QLD, 16 April 1917
Enlisted in the RAAF: 19 July 1940
Unit: No. 57 Squadron (RAF), RAF East Kirkby, Lincolnshire
Died: Air Operations: (No. 57 Squadron Lancaster aircraft ND878), Germany, 23 May 1944, Aged 27 Years
Buried: Becklingen War Cemetery, Soltau, Niedersachsen, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of John Joseph and Mary Frances Mahoney, of Spring Hill, Queensland, Australia.
Roll of Honour: Brisbane QLD
Remembered: Panel 126, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Lancaster ND878 took off from East Kirkby at 2216 hours on the night of 22 May 1944, detailed to bomb Brunswick, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. It was later established that the aircraft was shot down by a night fighter at 0215 hours on 23rd May 1944. It exploded in the air over Ottersberg a town 25 kms east north east from Bremen. All the crew members were killed
The crew members of ND878 were:
Signaller Reginald Roy Frost (1580431) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator Air)
Pilot Officer Edward George Graves (186550) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flight Sergeant Alan Ife (1375322) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flight Lieutenant John Joseph Mahoney (273734) (Navigator)
Sergeant James Alexander Moore (1117487) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Pilot Officer Leslie Harold Winneke (417032) (Pilot)
Sergeant Raymond Hedley Wright (1579870) (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, 166/27/438