LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer Robert Lenard MALONEY
Service No: 417657
Born: Adelaide SA, 19 February 1922
Enlisted in the RAAF: 20 June 1942
Unit: No. 578 Squadron (RAF), RAF Burn, Yorkshire
Died: Air Operations (No. 578 Squadron Halifax aircraft NA603), Netherlands, 16 January 1945, Aged 22 Years
Buried: Venray War Cemetery, Limburg, Netherlands
CWGC Additional Information: Son of William Arthur and Ellen Mary Maloney, of Keswick, South Australia
Roll of Honour: Unavailable
Remembered: Panel 126, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: World War II Honour Roll, National War Memorial of SA, North Terrace, Adelaide
At 1823 hours 0n the night of 16 January 1945 Halifax NA603 took off from Burn detailed to bomb Magdeburg, Germany. The aircraft was last heard on radio at 1951 hours by Ricall, broadcasting wind speed and direction, but after that nothing further was heard, and the aircraft failed to return to base. The aircraft was shot down by a night fighter at 2110 hours on the 16th January, crashing south of Gross Vahlberg, some 5 kms west south west of Schoppenstedt. Two crew members were killed and five became Prisoners of War. Flying Officer Maloney was ready to bale out but was unable to do so before the aircraft crashed.
The crew members of NA603 were:
Sergeant Cyril George Atkins (1594303) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer) PoW
Pilot Officer P H Clews (184918) (RAF) PoW
Pilot Officer F J Fitzgerald (J/89601) (RCAF) PoW
Flying Officer Robert Lenard Maloney (417657) (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant Charles Thomas Moore (429471) PoW, Discharged from the RAAF: 11 December 1945
Flying Officer Ivor Glyn Owen (146350) (RAFVR)
Sergeant Howard Gordon Skeats (1432264) (RAF) PoW
Sergeant Thomas William Spencer (1436767) (RAF) PoW
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, 166/27/741