Nursing Sister Eliza Jane Mehaffey served in the Queen Alexandra's Royal Nursing Service during the Second World War. She was the daughter of John Mehaffey and Margaret Mehaffey of Strabane, Co. Tyrone.
Eliza died on 18th July 1943 aged 36 years old. She served at H.M.S. Cormorant II, a Royal Naval Air Station in Gibraltar. On 18th July 1943, she was a passenger on Short Sunderland JM687 flying between the United Kingdom and Gibraltar. Oberleutnant Gustav Christner and Leutnant Lothar Wolff of 15/KG40 shot the RAF 204 Squadron plane down at 1314hrs.
Crew and Passengers on Sunderland JM687
| Last Name | First Name(s) | Rank | Role | Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballard | Leonard F. | Chief Motor Mechanic | Passenger | Royal Navy P/MX 125167. HMS Hornet. Missing Presumed Killed. |
| Bardsley | Victor | Chief Motor Mechanic | Passenger | Royal Navy P/MX 116826. HMS Hornet. Missing Presumed Killed. |
| Dutton | Ernest Alderson | Flight Sergeant | Wireless Operator | RAFVR 1119282. Missing Presumed Killed. |
| Gooch | Anthony Horace Neave | Flight Lieutenant | Pilot | RAF 42056. Missing Presumed Killed. |
| Greenwood | James | Flight Sergeant | Wireless Operator / Air Gunner | RAFVR 1109435. Missing Presumed Killed. |
| Griffiths | David Gareth | Sergeant | Pilot | RAFVR 1316486. Missing Presumed Killed. |
| Looms | Albert Horace | Flight Sergeant | Air Gunner | RAFVR 1190388. Missing Presumed Killed. |
| Mehaffey | Eliza Jane | Nursing Sister | Passenger | Queen Alexandra's Royal Nursing Service. HMS Cormorant II. Missing Presumed Killed. |
| Quinn | Robert Jennings | Pilot Officer | Air Gunner | RAFVR 147229. Missing Presumed Killed. |
| Quy | Arthur John William | Leading Motor Mechanic | Passenger | Royal Navy P/MX 501468. HMS Hornet. Missing Presumed Killed. |
| Rundle | Douglas Cecil | Pilot Officer | Navigator | RCAF J/17131. Missing Presumed Killed. |
| Thompson | Alfred | Sergeant | Air Gunner | RAFVR 1528492. Missing Presumed Killed. |
| Tozer | Alfred John | Sergeant | Flight Engineer | RAF 628949. Missing Presumed Killed. |
| Wainwright | John Hilditch | Lieutenant Surgeon | Passenger | Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. HMS Cormorant II. Missing Presumed Killed. |
Eliza Jane Mehaffey has no known grave. Her name is on Panel 84, Column 3 of the Plymouth Naval Memorial, Plymouth, Devon, England. Her name is also remembered on the family plot at Urney Cemetery, Strabane, Co. Tyrone.