Alex Nash
| Alex Nash | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | James Alexander Nash | ||
| Date of birth | 10 January 1923 | ||
| Place of birth | Carlton, Victoria | ||
| Date of death | 28 March 1944 (aged 21) | ||
| Place of death | Solomon Sea, off Bougainville Island, New Guinea | ||
| Original team(s) | Hawthorn Colts | ||
| Position(s) | Half back | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1942 | Hawthorn | 1 (0) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1942. | |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
James Alexander Nash DFM (10 January 1923 – 28 March 1944) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
Family
[edit]The son of Stanley Nash, and Myra Lucille Nash, née McIntosh, James Alexander Nash was born at Carlton, Victoria on 10 January 1923.[1]
Football
[edit]His only VFL game, which was against Collingwood, was while he was on leave from Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) duties.
Military service
[edit]A notable pilot, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal for his efforts during the Second World War; the award was presented to his mother by William McKell, the Governor-General of Australia, at Government House, Melbourne, on 20 October 1947.[2][3][4][5]
Death
[edit]He was killed in action off Bougainville, on 28 March 1944, when the bomber he was flying crashed into the sea in poor conditions and failing light while making a steep turn on his return to base after a strafing raid.[6][7]
His body was never recovered. He is commemorated at the Rabaul War Cemetery.[8]
See also
[edit]Footnotes
[edit]- ^ Service Record.
- ^ "No. 36401". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 February 1944. p. 1010.
- ^ Radio Man Saved Five Lives, The Newcastle Sun, (Saturday, 4 March 1944), p.4.
- ^ Honours and Awards (Recommendation): Flight Sergeant James Alexander Nash (410368), Collection of the Australian War Memorial.
- ^ Mr. McKell Presents War Honours, The Argus, (Tuesday, 21 October 1947), p.6.
- ^ RAAF documents.
- ^ In Memoriam: On Service: Wade, The West Australian, (Thursday, 28 March 1946), p.1.
- ^ Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
References
[edit]- Holmesby, Russell & Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing.
- World War Two Service Record: Pilot Officer James Alexander Nash (410368), National Archives of Australia.
- RAAF Documents relating to the crash of Beaufort A9-517 and the death of Pilot Officer James Alexander Nash (410368), National Archives of Australia.
- Roll of Honour: Pilot Officer James Alexander Nash (410368), at the Australian War Memorial.
- R.A.A.F. Casualty List: Australia and Territories: Missing, Air Operations, The Age, (Thursday, 27 April 1944), p.4.
- R.A.A.F. Casualties: South-West Pacific: Previously Reported Missing, Now Presumed Dead, The Age, (Tuesday, 29 May 1945), p.5.
- Pilot Officer James Alexander Nash, DFM (410368), Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
External links
[edit]- Alex Nash at AustralianFootball.com
- Alex Nash's playing statistics from AFL Tables
- 1923 births
- 1940s missing person cases
- 1944 deaths
- Australian military personnel killed in World War II
- Australian rules footballers from Melbourne
- Hawthorn Football Club players
- Missing in action of World War II
- Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Medal
- Royal Australian Air Force officers
- Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II
- Military personnel from Melbourne
- People from Carlton, Victoria