LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer Maxwell James NEVILLE
Service No: 436158
Born: Concord NSW, 10 June 1923
Enlisted in the RAAF: 11 November 1942 (at Perth WA)
Unit: No. 126 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Bentwaters, Suffolk
Died: Aircraft Accident (Mustang aircraft FZ722), Norfolk, 23 March 1945, Aged 21 Years
Buried: Cambridge City Cemetery, Cambridgeshire
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Charles Leslie and Eileen Elizabeth Neville, of Burwood, New South Wales, Australia.
Roll of Honour: Burwood NSW
Remembered: Panel 128, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Cenotaph Undercroft, State War Memorial, Kings Park WA
On a non-operational day training flight on the 23 March 1945, Mustang FZ722, crashed following a collision in the air with Mustang KM546. Both Pilots were killed in the crash. The accident occurred 30 minutes after take off for a practice flight authorised for a Dog Fight at 20,000 feet. It was considered that the mid air collision was caused by an error of judgement by one of the pilots. The aircraft crashed near Syderstone, 15 miles north east of Kings Lynn, Norfolk. The pilot of KM546 was Flight Lieutenant Derek John Thurgood (131531) (RAFVR).
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 Records A9300, NEVILLE M J