The Airmen's Stories - F/Lt. N M Harding

Nelson Maxwell Harding was born in April 1918 in Guildford, the son of Victor and Florence Harding.

He joined the RAF on a short service commission in January 1936.

Harding was posted to 5 FTS Sealand on 20th March, joined 23 Squadron at Wittering on 23rd October 1937 and was still serving with the squadron in early July 1940.

He had married Barbara Miles in July 1939 in Peterborough.

His subsequent service is currently unknown but by 1944 he had made the transition to Bomber Command, serving as a Flight Lieutenant with 78 Squadron and operating from Breighton, Yorkshire in Halifaxes.

Harding was killed with his whole crew on 16th September 1944 when Halifax LV869 EY-G was lost without trace on a sortie to Kiel.

Other crew:

F/O MM Maguire
Sgt. G Pesticcio
F/O KJ Nethercott
Sgt. CS Quelch
Sgt. AJ Coburn
Sgt GAM Simpson

Harding is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, panel 202.

Above image courtesy of Dean Sumner.