LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Arthur Nelson MOORE
Service No: 421995
Born: West Maitland NSW, 28 October 1917
Enlisted in the RAAF: 24 April 1942
Unit: No. 78 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Breighton
Died: Air Operations: (No. 78 Squadron Halifax aircraft HR874), Germany, 6 September 1943, Aged 25 Years
Buried: Durnbach War Cemetery, Bad Tolz, Bayern, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Mr. and Mrs. W. Moore, of East Maitland, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 127, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 1941 hours on the night of 5September 1943 Halifax HR874 took off from Breighton detailed to bomb Mannheim, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. HR874 was one of four aircraft from the squadron which failed to return from the mission. The aircraft crashed near the village of Hochstettin, which is approximately 9 miles north of Karlsruhe, Germany. Four of the crew members were killed and three became Prisoners of War.
The crew members of HR874 were:
Sergeant Dennis Thomas Frank Doyle (987167) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant Frederick John Edser (1335488) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Sergeant Peter Hinson (1249131) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant G Jones (1430583) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber) PoW
Flight Sergeant Arthur Nelson Moore (421995) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant H Mott (953178) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer) PoW
Sergeant S J Muldoon (1511629) (RAFVR) (Navigator) PoW
Sergeant Mott later reported: “Flight Sergeant Moore was still alive when I baled out. He appeared unhurt and ready to bale out, but I do not know if Moore left the plane.” Sergeant Jones reported “Both Muldoon and Mott baled out before me. The other four were still in the aircraft and I don’t think they had time to bale out and were probably killed.”
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, 166/28/139