WHITWORTH, John Hayes
| Service Number: | NX162064 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 7 May 1943 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | Z Special Unit |
| Born: | Coogee, New South Wales, Australia, 28 February 1925 |
| Home Town: | Coogee, Randwick, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Wool Valuer / Pencilling |
| Died: | Executed whilst a prisoner of the Japanese, Celebes, Netherlands East Indies, 1 July 1945, aged 20 years |
| Cemetery: |
Port Moresby (Bomana) War Cemetery, Papua New Guinea Burial reference: - Plot C8, Row A, Grave 15. Personal inscription: - "JOHNNY WHIT OUR "BEAUTIFUL DREAMER" STARLIGHT AND DEWDROPS ARE WAITING FOR THEE". |
| Memorials: | Australian Commando Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Private, NX162064, Z Special Unit | |
|---|---|---|
| 7 May 1943: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Private, NX162064, Z Special Unit |
Help us honour John Hayes Whitworth's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Dianne Black
Parents: - Samuel Edward and Estelle Ivy Whitworth, of Coogee, New South Wales, Australia.
Miscellaneous Details……After 67 years, three casualties buried in Port Moresby (Bomana) War Cemetery, Papua New Guinea, have been identified and given new Commission headstones. The graves were confirmed as the resting places of Lieutenant Scobell McFerran-Rogers, Private John Whitworth, and Bapak Roestan, following investigations conducted by the Australian Army Unrecovered War Casualties Unit. They were members of Z Special Unit of the Australian Army and were killed by the Japanese when operating behind the lines in what was then the Celebes, in the closing months of the Second World War. The rededication ceremony on 6 November 2012 was attended by family members of the three men and Henry Fawkes, the sole surviving member of the patrol in which they died.
Son of Samuel Edward and Estelle Ivy Whitworth of Coogee, NSW. He enlisted in the Australian Army on 7th May 1943. Transferred to Australian Cavalry and Armoured Car Training Regiment on 21st May 1943. Transferred to the Australian Imperial Force on 31th May 1943. Marched in to 'Z' Special Unit on 8th June1944. Departed for service in Australian Mandated Territory on 9th April 1945. Departed for service outside Australian Mandated Territory on 26th May 1945. Died whilst a Prisoner of War - executed by elements of the Japanese Imperial Forces in the Celebes, now Indonesia. Medals awarded 1939/45 Star, Pacific Star, Australia Service Medal.
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