James McCrea was born on 5th April 1924 to Douglas Alexander and Margaret Ellen McCrea of St.Eustache sur le Lac, Province of Quebec, Canada. He trained as a navigator and after posting to the UK continued his training joining the Mooney crew in Autumn 1944. The date when he received his commission is not yet known.

He was twenty years old and was buried at Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire on 20th January 1945 alongside many of the others killed in this accident.