MILDWATERS, Claude James
| Service Number: | SX18051 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 19 March 1942, Wayville, SA |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/33rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Cherry Gardens, South Australia, Australia, 21 March 1914 |
| Home Town: | Murray Bridge, Murray Bridge, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Sheep Hand |
| Died: | Injuries, New Guinea, 7 September 1943, aged 29 years |
| Cemetery: |
Port Moresby (Bomana) War Cemetery, Papua New Guinea CWGC Grave No: Section C. Plot 1. Row F. Grave 4. Inscription: "HONOURED WITH AUSTRALIA'S BRAVE". |
| Memorials: | Adelaide WW2 Wall of Remembrance, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Peake War Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 19 Mar 1942: | Enlisted Private, SX18051, 2nd/33rd Infantry Battalion, Wayville, SA | |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Mar 1942: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, SX18051, 2nd/33rd Infantry Battalion | |
| 7 Sep 1943: | Involvement Private, SX18051, 2nd/33rd Infantry Battalion, New Guinea - Huon Peninsula / Markham and Ramu Valley /Finisterre Ranges Campaigns | |
| Date unknown: | Involvement |
Tragedy strikes 2nd/33rd Battalion in Townsville while awaiting troop lift flight to Nadzab
The 2nd/33rd returned to Port Moresby in late July in preparation for the operations capture Lae, in New Guinea. On 7 September, while it waited near Jackson's Airfield at '7Mile' near Moresby to be flown to Nadzab, via Tsili Tsili, a fully fuelled and 'bombed up' US B-24 Liberator bomber crashed on take off among the trucks carrying the battalion. Sixty men, mainly from D Company, were killed and 92 injured. This represented a third of the battalion's fatal casualties for the entire war.
The remnants of the battalion were flown to Nadzab on 8 September and subsequently participated in the advance on Lae, which fell on 16 September.
Submitted 7 September 2017 by Steve Larkins
Biography contributed by Elizabeth Allen
Claude James MILDWATERS was born in Cherry Gardens, South Australia on 21st March, 1914
His parents were Albert James MILDWATERS & Florence Beatrice HICKS who married in the Methodist Church in Cherry Gardens on 12th May, 1909
He married Amy Violet Myrtle MERRITT in 1939 (South Australia)
Claude died of injuries in New Guinea on 7th September, 1943 and is buried in the Bomana War Cemetery
His brother Leslie Gordon MILDWATERS (SX 17931) also served in New Guinea and was Killed in Action on 18th October, 1943
Biography contributed by Stephen Bonald
On Tuesday, September 7th, 1943, at Jackson Field in Port Moresby, New Guinea, a B-24D Liberator bomber (The Pride of the Cornhuskers) from the 403rd Bomber Squadron, 43rd Bombing Group USAAF, crashed during take-off, likely due to pilot disorientation in the dark. The aircraft hit trees and slammed into a convoy of trucks carrying over 130 soldiers from D Company, 2/33 Infantry Battalion of the Australian Army, who were waiting to board C-47 transport planes to move to the front lines. The bomber’s 500-pound bombs and 2,800 gallons of fuel exploded, killing 15 Australian soldiers instantly and severely injuring 47 more, who later died. Another 90 soldiers were wounded but survived, all 11 crew members aboard the bomber (The Pride of the Cornhuskers) were killed. Private Claude James Mildwaters – SX18051, was one of the 47 Australian Military personnel severely burned, succumbing to his injuries the same day.
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