Maxwell's Story.
Maxwell Cox was born in Tingha, NSW, Australia on 5th April 1917 to parents Oliver and Maude Cox. He was married to Betty and before enlisting he worked as a woodworker. He enlisted in the RAAF on 12th September 1942 and volunteered for aircrew duty. He started training as a pilot but at some point, he was transferred to navigator training which he completed in Australia before embarking for the UK on 29th December 1943 arriving on 9th February 1944 after stopping in Canada for a brief training period. After arriving in UK he posted to 8 (O) AFU at RAF Mona on 8th May 1944 for advanced training in Avro Anson aircraft before moving to 27 OTU at RAF Lichfield for operational training in Wellington bombers. Whilst at 27 OTU he joined 4 other Australians and one RAF crewman to form a basic 6 man bomber crew before moving to a heavy conversion unit for training in 4 engine bombers. The men arrived at No. 11 Base at RAF Lindholme for their heavy bomber conversion with 1656 Heavy Conversion Unit on 31st July 1944. On 3rd September 1944, the crew was flying a Handley Page Halifax Mk II, serial number JD417 on a training flight. The aircraft left RAF Lindholme at 1130hrs and in the early afternoon the aircraft was diverted to RAF Valley on Anglesey to try to escape the weather, which was worsening. The Halifax was due south of Anglesey, flying north when it was engulfed by a storm. What happened next is unknown but at 15:06 that afternoon, the bomber, now heading south, was heard to crash into the north side of Garn Ganol, the central and highest peak of the three mountains that make up Yr Eifl, north of Pwllheli, after it had flown over a local farm. All six men were killed instantly.The crew were
424379 Flying Officer Maxwell Cox, Pilot, age 27. RAAF
423363 Pilot Officer Lindsay George Walker, 2nd Pilot, age 21 RAAF
421114 Warrant Officer John Albert White, Wireless Operator/Air Gunner, age 24. RAAF
433753 Flight Sergeant Keith Penwick, Air Gunner, age 19. RAAF
433631 Flight Sergeant Roy Walmsley, Air Gunner, age 19. RAAF
1012895 Sergeant Francis Reginald Jones, Flight Engineer RAFVR
Maxwell and the other Australians were buried at the RAF regional cemetery at Blacon in Chester whilst the lone British crewman was buried at his home town.
Maxwell is also memorialized at the Tingha War Memorial in NSW
Accident Form 1
Accident Form 2
Accident Form 3
Accident Form 4
JD417 crashed into the middle peak of the three peaks in the background
Crash site memorial
Tingha War Memorial NSW
Researched by Steve Merrill