FLTLT John Sanger Austin 400363

DFC, MiD

Date of Birth Wednesday, May 15, 1918
Place of Birth Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Date of Death Tuesday, November 09, 1943 (Aged 25 years)

Award: Mention in Despatches
Date of London Gazette: 1 January 1943
Location in London Gazette: Page 42, position 1

John was born 15/5/18 in Melbourne Vic. He enlisted 18/8/40 and was killed 19/11/43.

John was a pilot flying Hudsons with 2 and 13 Squadrons of the RAAF

He was born on the 15th May 1918 in Melbourne, Victoria. He was educated at Geelong Grammar School, and at the time of enlisting in the RAAF on the 18th August 1940 he was in the stock department of Dennys, Lascelles Ltd, Geelong.

John was mentioned in Despatches for his work in Hudsons in the Coastal Command overseas. When he returned to Australia in December 1942, he was posted to a northern station. He unexpectedly died of an illness on the 9th November 1943.

He was the son of Frank and Agnes Margaret Austen of Avalon, Lara, Victoria.

...

Mr and Mrs. Frank Austin, of Avalon, Lara, have been advised that their son, Flt-Lt John Sanger Austin, 25, had died of illness at a northern operational station. Flt-Lt Austin was to have married Miss Margaret Cully, of Narrandera, NSW, on Monday, but his sudden illness prevented him beginning his leave some days ago. Flt-Lt Austin was educated at Geelong Grammar School, and at the time of enlisting in the RAAF was in the stock department of Dennys, Lascelles Ltd, Geelong. He was mentioned in despatches for his work in Hudsons in the Coastal Command overseas. He returned to Australia about 11 months ago, and was posted to a northern station. Two brothers were in the Air Force, one in England and the other in India.

...

Cemetery ADELAIDE RIVER WAR CEMETERY
Grave F.C.16.

The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War, was the Pacific theatre of World War II, which was fought in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia. It includes the Pacific Ocean theatre, the South West Pacific theatre, the South-East Asian theatre, and the Second Sino-Japanese War (including the 1945 Soviet-Japanese conflict).

It is generally considered that the Pacific War began on 7/8 December 1941 with the invasion of Thailand for the invasion of British Malaya, and the attack on Pearl Harbour in the United States' Territory of Hawaii by the Empire of Japan. Some authors consider that the conflict in Asia dates back to 7 July 1937, beginning with the Second Sino-Japanese War between the Empire of Japan and the Republic of China, or possibly 19 September 1931, beginning with the Japanese invasion of Manchuria.However, it is more widely accepted that the Pacific War itself started in early December 1941, with the Sino-Japanese War then becoming part of it as a theatre of the greater World War II.

The Pacific War saw the Allied powers pitted against the Empire of Japan, the latter briefly aided by Thailand and to a much lesser extent by its Axis allies, Germany and Italy. The war culminated in the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and other large aerial bombing attacks by the United States Army Air Forces, accompanied by the Soviet invasion of Manchuria on 8 August 1945, resulting in the surrender of Japan and the end of fighting during World War II on 15 August 1945. The formal and official surrender of Japan occurred aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945.