LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Maurice Anthony SULLIVAN GM
Service No: 400359
Born: Hamilton VIC, 16 June 1914
Enlisted in the RAAF: 18 August 1940
Unit: No. 7 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Oakington
Awarded the George Medal (GM)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 7 Squadron Stirling aircraft N3680), off the French Coast, 18 December 1941, Aged 27 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of John Henry and Ellen Frances Sullivan, of Macarthur, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: MacArthur VIC
Remembered: Panel 63, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 131, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Brother of Flight Lieutenant Laurence Gerald Sullivan DFM (409250)
On 18 November 1941, Sergeant Sullivan was injured and awarded the George Medal for his actions in an aircraft accident in which Flying Officer James Albert Lopez (402448) was killed.
Sergeant Sullivan was awarded the George Medal for his actions on 18 November 1941 in which Flying Officer James Albert Lopez (402448) was fatally injured. The Citation reads as follows: “Sergeant M A Sullivan was awarded the George Medal for gallantry of the highest order when the aircraft he was rear gunner in crashed and burst into flames in November 1941. Sergeant Sullivan got out of his rear turret and finding no other crew member clear of the crash, he clambered along the blazing wing and despite having a burnt hand, continued into the fuselage to rescue other members of the crew. With the assistance of two soldiers who had since arrived on the scene he was able to remove to safety a member of the crew who had a broken leg. He returned to the crash and again entering the fuselage succeeded, with the assistance of one of the soldiers in removing another member of the crew who also had a broken leg. Despite the growing intensity of the fire he entered the fuselage for a third time to make sure that no other member of the crew was present. He noticed through the tangled wreckage that one of the soldiers was working frantically to extricate the navigator who had been trapped in the forward part of the compartment. He therefore ran around to assist him and together they succeeded in removing the navigator who had serious head injuries. He then helped the soldiers remove the remaining three members of the crew and as soon as these had been extricated there was a violent explosion from a bomb. Sergeant Sullivan showed the highest degree of gallantry throughout and his example was undoubtedly a source of inspiration to the other rescuers.” (London Gazette 24 March 1942, Page 1327)
At 0940 hours on 18 December 1941 Stirling N3680 took off from Oakington detailed to attack Brest. The aircraft which was last seen over the target failed to return to base. It was believed that it was shot down by Me109s over the French coast. Following post war enquiries and investigations, it was recorded in 1949 that the missing crew members had lost their lives at sea.
The crew members of N3680 were:
Pilot Officer Nicholas Frederick Durban (J/15038) (RCAF) (Observer)
Flight Lieutenant Bernard Parnell MID (42876) (RAF) (Pilot)
Sergeant John Henry Martin Pulford (912307) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Sergeant Maurice Anthony Sullivan GM (400359) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant Kenneth Roy Taylor (404425) (RNZAF) (Second Pilot)
Flight Sergeant Ronald Wheatley (745900) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Terence Patrick Wright (1006115) (RAFVR) (Air 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 Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 163/164/81