LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Maxwell Henry HARDY
Service No: 417072
Born: Prospect SA, 16 May 1917
Enlisted in the RAAF: 6 December 1941
Unit: No. 44 Squadron (RAF), RAF Dunholme Lodge, Lincolnshire
Died: Air Operations: Long Distance Raids (No. 44 Squadron Lancaster aircraft LM373), Germany, 23 November 1943, Aged 26 Years
Buried: Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Frederick Bruno and Margaret Hardy, of Glenelg, South Australia
Roll of Honour: Glenelg 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 LM373 took off from RAF Dunholme Lodge at 1716 hours on the night of 23 November 1943 to bomb Berlin. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. Post war it was learned that all the crew members had been killed.
The crew members of LM373 were:
Sergeant Eric Ambrose (937514) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flight Sergeant John Beebe (658479) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Flying Officer William Buckel (156099) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant Maxwell Henry Hardy (417072) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant Peter Middleton Lees (572694) (RAF) (Fitter II Airframe/Bomb Aimer)
Sergeant Gilbert John O’Brien (1028910) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant John Taylor (1851668) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper 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 Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/17/384