LEST WE FORGET
Warrant Officer James Renton POWER
Service No: 401148
Born: Middle Park VIC, 25 April 1914
Enlisted in the RAAF: 3 January 1941
Unit: No. 39 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 39 Squadron Beaufighter aircraft LZ142), southern Italian area, 6 November 1943, Aged 29 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Ernest Renton Power and Mary Power, of Middle Park, Victoria, Australia. Interstate Water Polo Player
Roll of Honour: South Melbourne VIC
Remembered: Column 277, Alamein Memorial, Egypt
Remembered: Panel 129, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Brother of Flight Sergeant John Renton Power (432435)
At 1125 hours on 6 November 1943 Beaufighter LZ142 took off from Grottaglie Landing Ground, South Italy on a transit flight to Sidi Amor, Tunisia. Bad weather was encountered on the trip. The aircraft was last seen heading in a south easterly direction from Grottaglie. The last report which was picked up by other aircraft of the squadron was at about 1230 hours. This reported that the aircraft was crossing the coast (presumably the Italian or Sicilian coast) and steering a course of 187deg. This last report was apparently from LZ142, although the last letter in the call sign was that of another aircraft of the Squadron. Nothing was found from post war searches in Sicily and Southern Italy, and it was recorded that the missing crew members had lost their lives at sea.
The crew members of LZ142 were:
Flight Sergeant Walter Daniel Paul (1128511) (RAFVR) (Navigator Wireless)
Warrant Officer James Renton Power (401148) (Pilot)
References:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records (RAAF Casualty Information compiled by Alan Storr (409804))
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
Department of Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/33/96