Born in 1915 in New Hampshire, William Maher was working for the Manchester City Street Railway Company as a bus repairer in 1940. He enlisted in April 1942 and was sent overseas. Assigned to the 303rd Bomb Group/358th Bomb Squadron in England. Shot down over France in B-17 42-29635 'Augerhead' on the 31 August 1943 mission to bomb the Amiens/Glisy airfield, France. After bailing out, he landed just South of Abbeville, France. Helped by French patriots and the Belgian Comet evasion network, he crossed into Spain on 22 September 1943, reached Gibraltar on 1 October and was back in England on 5 October 1943. The full story of his evasion : http://www.evasioncomete.be/fmaherwp.html 

Maher was a member of the William Monahan crew, which usually flew B-17F #41-24577 'Hell's Angels'. After WWII, William Maher returned to the US and stayed in the Air Force, serving last as a Navigator/ Observer on RB-36 aircraft out of Rapid City. He was Killed in Service on 18 March 1953 flying in a RB-36H Peacemaker #51-13721 of the 28th SRW (Strategic Reconnaissance Wing)/ 718th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron. The plane was on a low-level overwater training flight, just 1,000 ft over the ocean whitecaps, from the Lajes airfield in the Azores to its base at Rapid City, South Dakota. The RB-36 became lost in bad weather, had problems with its jet engines and crashed into a frigid wilderness hillside on Random Island, near Burgoyne Cove, Newfoundland. All twenty-three men aboard were killed, including Captain William Maher who was flying as an Observer, Radar Operator. Details at http://www.air-and-space.com/b-36%20wrecks.htm#51-13721 

The Senior Officer aboard was Brigadier General Richard E. Ellsworth, CG of the 28th SRW. The Rapid City AFB, South Dakota, was renamed Ellsworth AFB after Brig. Gen. Ellsworth by order of President Eisenhower on 13 June 1953. 

Awards: AM (3OLC), WWII Victory, EAME.