Little is known of Sgt Jones at this time. He was a WAG (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner) when he and his crew were lost after their Hudson failed to return. This was his first operational sortie. view details

According to the Australian National Archives, RAAF personnel records, he was born on 25th Jan. 1915 in Mayfield NSW and enlisted in Sydney. He then completed his Initial Training in New South Wales before being posted to Canada for advanced training.

It is assumed that he arrived to 59 Squadron on the 18th of Feb. 1942, along with his crew where he undertook further pre-op training until the 2nd of March.

Update march 2020: I have bought (over the past year or so) some items belonging to a Sergeant Winston Trevor Jones (RAAF service number 402999). Among the items were his flying log book (started while training in the RCAF at Jarvis) and ending on the 15th February, 1942 when he completed his training at RAF Silloth. After that he was posted to North Coates to join 59 Squadron and unfortunately his aircraft was lost when he was out on his first sortie on 2nd March, 1942 (well documented on your website). In addition to the log book I have his personal diary which starts on the 1st January, 1942 and ends the day before he went missing. It covers the training mentioned in the log book and describes the weather conditions; what he did when the weather was no good; what he ate; where he went (lots of singing around the piano); his sight-seeing, his correspondence and so on. It also describes what he saw from the air while on his training flights. He was a lovely person – always so positive. He often closes the day’s writing with “very tired but so happy”. He loved what he was doing. He clearly suffered from air sickness but could still see the beauty out the window. I also have a leather flying helmet and a compass and a large book about identifying British birds – a subject he must have been passionate about as he often describes the birds he has seen and what they were up to.
 
There was one photo in the grouping (all discovered and rescued by a worker at a tip shop in the eastern states in an old suitcase along with a few civilian clothes). The photo was from 1941 and there are two other named RAAF personnel – Alastair Greenfield and Leslie Hellyer – who must have attended wireless school with Winston Jones (assuming he is the third man in the photo). The other two are named and their signatures and home towns are written, but there is nothing about the third man. I have attached the photo as well as two others – one taken from the enlistment file of Les Hellyer and the other obtained from ancestry.com of Alastair Greenfield. My guess is that Hellyer is on the left and Greenfield is on the right, leaving Winston to be the man in the middle. I got the service record of Winston digitised from the National Archives in the hope that there would be a photo, but unfortunately not. Greenfield was also KIA later in 1942 (but attached to a different squadron). His service record is yet to be digitised, so no photo either.
 
My husband and I have a war history museum on the south coast of Western Australia where we display mostly items which tell stories about wartime – not all military – also home front and auxiliary services – Red Cross, VAD and other nursing and medical personnel. We have items from many countries – both allied and axis. view more
 
Kathryn Shapland.