LEST WE FORGET
Flight Lieutenant James Ba THOMSON
Service No: 425391
Born: Ba, Fiji, 9 July 1916
Enlisted in the RAAF: 1 February 1942 (at Brisbane QLD)
Unit: No. 27 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 27 Squadron Beaufighter aircraft NR710), India, 1 April 1945, Aged 28 Years
Buried: Madras War Cemetery, Chennai, India
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Reginald Francis and Amy Attwood Thomson, of Artarmon, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 131, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On 1 April 1945 Beaufighter NR710 crashed at 0545Z hours about 1 mile south of the runway at St Thomas Mount, India, which is about 10 miles south of Chennai. The aircraft spun when attempting to land in adverse weather conditions and both crew members were killed.
The crew members of NR710 were:
Flight Lieutenant Dominick O’Brien (151177) (RAFVR) (Navigator/Wireless)
Flight Lieutenant James Ba Thomson (425391) (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, 166/39/530