AMESS, John Walter Bissett
| Service Number: | 403794 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 3 March 1941 |
| Last Rank: | Flying Officer |
| Last Unit: | No. 11 Squadron (RAAF) |
| Born: | Cobar, New South Wales, Australia, 2 November 1910 |
| Home Town: | Cobar, Cobar, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Unknown |
| Occupation: | Branch Manager |
| Died: | Aircraft lost on Ops, Fakfak West Papua, Dutch New Guinea, Netherlands East Indies, 2 September 1943, aged 32 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Cairns Catalina A24-50 Memorial Plaque, Lae Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Mar 1941: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Aircraftman 2 (WW2), 403794, No. 11 Squadron (RAAF) | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Mar 1941: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Flying Officer, 403794, No. 11 Squadron (RAAF) | |
| 2 Sep 1943: | Involvement Flying Officer, 403794 |
Wreckage of Black Cat A24-50 discovered in West Papua 3 Aug 19
3 August 2019
THE Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has completed a search and recovery mission in Indonesia for the remains of 10 Australian airmen aboard Catalina A24-50, 76 years after the aircraft failed to return from a wartime mission.
Reported missing on 2 September 1943 while on a sea mining operation to Sorong in occupied Dutch New Guinea, the wreckage of RAAF No 11 Squadron Catalina A24-50 was located near Fakfak, in West Papua in April 2018.
Minister for Veterans and Defence Personnel Darren Chester said the Air Force Unrecovered War Casualties team positively identified the missing aircraft during a reconnaissance mission to the crash site last year.
“We are committed to honouring the service and sacrifice of Australian military personnel from all theatres of war,” Mr Chester said.
“The RAAF team has concluded further search activities in the field and have reported finding a number of items of interest which require further testing in order to confirm the origin of each item.
“The only major recognisable pieces of wreckage were two sections of the wing, engines and propeller, and the empennage (rear part of fuselage) across the top of a ridge.
“We are very grateful for the support and assistance provided by the Indonesian Air Force throughout this process, without which this work could not take place.”
The Hon Darren Chester MP
Submitted 7 July 2020 by Steve Larkins
Biography contributed by Sharyn Roberts
3 August 2019
THE Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has completed a search and recovery mission in Indonesia for the remains of 10 Australian airmen aboard Catalina A24-50, 76 years after the aircraft failed to return from a wartime mission.
Reported missing on 2 September 1943 while on a sea mining operation to Sorong in occupied Dutch New Guinea, the wreckage of RAAF No 11 Squadron Catalina A24-50 was located near Fakfak, in West Papua in April 2018.
Minister for Veterans and Defence Personnel Darren Chester said the Air Force Unrecovered War Casualties team positively identified the missing aircraft during a reconnaissance mission to the crash site last year.
“We are committed to honouring the service and sacrifice of Australian military personnel from all theatres of war,” Mr Chester said.
“The RAAF team has concluded further search activities in the field and have reported finding a number of items of interest which require further testing in order to confirm the origin of each item.
“The only major recognisable pieces of wreckage were two sections of the wing, engines and propeller, and the empennage (rear part of fuselage) across the top of a ridge.
“We are very grateful for the support and assistance provided by the Indonesian Air Force throughout this process, without which this work could not take place.”
The Hon Darren Chester MP
Biography contributed
John Walter Bissett AMESS was born in Cobar, NSW on 2nd November, 1910
His parents were John George Alexander AMESS & Ruby ERSKINE who married in Cobar in 1910
He married Margaret Jasmine CALDWELL in Sydney in 1939
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