LEST WE FORGET
Flight Lieutenant John Pender Deany THOMSON
Service No: 401161
Born: Brunswick VIC, 12 March 1916
Enlisted in the RAAF: 3 January 1941
Unit: No. 20 Squadron (RAF), Nidania, Bangladesh
Died: Air Operations: (No. 20 Squadron Hurricane IID aircraft KW871), Taung-U, Burma, 18 February 1944, Aged 27 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of John Pender Thomson, and of Grace Thomson, of Mont Albert, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Box Hill VIC
Remembered: Column 443, Singapore Memorial, Singapore
Remembered: Panel 101, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Catalina Base Memorial, Rathmines NSW
Some records have shown Flight Lieutenant Thomson incorrectly serving with No. 20 Squadron RAAF which appears to have led to his name being included on the Catalina Base Memorial.
On 18 February 1944, Hurricane KW871 took off together with another aircraft to carry out an offensive reconnaissance over enemy held territory. Both aircraft failed to return from the mission.
The wreck of KW871 was later found near the village of Taung-U, Burma. Local inhabitants said that Flight Lieutenant Thomson was killed when the aircraft crashed but his remains were unable to be found.
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 Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A9300, THOMSON J P D
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line