Private james edwin white
Service Number: VX30203
Private James Edwin White (Service Number: VX30203) served in the Australian Army during World War II as a member of the 2/22nd Australian Infantry Battalion. Born in Victoria, he was the son of George Frederick and Jenny White of Boho, Victoria.findagrave.com+2awm.gov.au+2awm.gov.au+2findagrave.com
In 1941, the 2/22nd Battalion was deployed to Rabaul on the island of New Britain (now part of Papua New Guinea) as part of Lark Force, tasked with defending the area against Japanese forces. On 23 January 1942, Japanese forces invaded Rabaul, overwhelming the Australian defenders. Many members of Lark Force were killed or captured; some attempted to escape.memorial.org.auPrivate White died on 22 February 1942 while at sea en route to Port Moresby. The cause of death is recorded as illness. He is buried at Bita Paka War Cemetery in Rabaul, Papua New Guinea .awm.gov.au+1awm.gov.au+1couriermail.com.auawm.gov.au+1papuanewguinea.travel+1
His name is commemorated on Panel 50 in the Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra .awm.gov.au
For more detailed information, you can consult his service record through the National Archives of Australia. These records are digitized and freely accessible online .naa.gov.au