Operation: Ground Attack / Anti-aircraft fire
Date: 28th August 1944 (Monday)
Unit: No. 19 Squadron RNZAF
Aircraft Type: Vought F4U Corsair
Serial: NZ5293
Base: Torokina (Piva) Airfield, Bougainville, Solomon Islands
Location of Loss: Tonelei Harbour, south-east Bougainville, Solomon Islands
Pilot: Fl/Sgt. Jack Muir Knight NZ421031 RNZAF Age: 20. Missing - believed killed
PILOT BACKGROUND
Fl/Sgt. Jack Muir Knight
Born on 8th February 1924 in Waiuku, Auckland, New Zealand, the son of Harry Knight and Elizabeth Knight (nee Thomson) of Waiuku, Auckland. He was educated at Waiuku District High School, where school sports included tennis, cricket, football and running. His civilian occupation was that of farmhand on his father's farm at Waiuku. He joined the Home Guard in November 1940, gaining the rank of Corporal, and was a member of the Air Training Corps at the time of applying for aircrew service on 29th May 1942.
His service record:
- 15 Aug 1942 - Enlisted at Seagrove, Aircrafthand (ATC)
- Nov 1942 - Remustered as Aircrafthand (ADU)
- Feb 1943 - Posted to Initial Training Wing (ITW), Rotorua - Airman-Pilot u/t; reclassified Leading Aircraftman
- Apr 1943 - No. 3 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS), Harewood
- Jul 1943 - No. 2 Service Flying Training School (SFTS), Woodbourne
- 20 Nov 1943 - Promoted to Sergeant
- Early Nov 1943 - Operational Training Unit (OTU), Ohakea
- 20 May 1944 - Promoted to Flight Sergeant
- 18 Feb 1944 - Embarked with No. 19 Squadron for Forward Area, Pacific
- 28 Aug 1944 - Killed in action, age 20. Tonelei Harbour, Bougainville.
REASON FOR LOSS
On 28th August 1944, Fl/Sgt. Knight was the pilot of Vought F4U Corsair NZ5293, engaged on operations in the vicinity of Tonelei Harbour, south-eastern Bougainville, Solomon Islands. The aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire. Fl/Sgt. Knight baled out at approximately 200 feet - an altitude entirely insufficient for parachute deployment. He was 20 years of age.
Although an extensive search was carried out, no trace of his body was found. Fl/Sgt. Knight was subsequently posted as missing on air operations on 28th August 1944. The RNZAF Roll of Honour for 1944 records the aircraft serial as NZ5293 and the location of loss as the Sumei River area, consistent with the Tonelei Harbour vicinity in Japanese-held southern Bougainville.
"Flight Sergeant Knight was the pilot of a Corsair aircraft which was engaged on operations on August 28th 1944 in the vicinity of Tonelei Harbour, Bougainville, the aircraft being hit by anti-aircraft fire. Flight Sergeant Knight baled out at approximately 200 feet but his parachute failed to open. Although an extensive search was carried out no trace was found of his body and he was subsequently posted as missing on air operations on August 28th 1944."
RNZAF Biographies of Deceased Personnel, 1939-1945
TONELEI HARBOUR, BOUGAINVILLE
Tonelei Harbour lies on the south-eastern coast of Bougainville Island, within the Japanese-held south of the island. The Buin-Tonolei-Shortland area was a major hub of Japanese naval and air activity throughout the war - a staging point for operations across the Solomon Islands, and one of the most heavily defended zones in the South Pacific. Allied aircraft operating over this area in 1944 faced persistent and accurate anti-aircraft fire, and losses to ground defences were commonplace.
Unlike the north of Bougainville, which came under Allied control following the landings at Cape Torokina in November 1943, the south of the island was never recaptured during the war. Japanese forces in the Buin area remained in place until the formal surrender in August 1945.
COURSE 42A - NO. 2 SFTS WOODBOURNE, 1943
Fl/Sgt. Knight was one of approximately 30 men who graduated together from Course 42A at No. 2 Service Flying Training School, Woodbourne, in late 1943. The training photograph of the course, preserved by the Air Force Museum of New Zealand, records him in the third row. Among his coursemates were several who would also not survive the war.
One was Fl/Sgt. Ronald Lawrence Bayly (NZ4210518), lost just one day later - 29th August 1944 - flying Corsair NZ5255 with No. 21 Squadron on a strafing mission near Kara Airstrip, also on Bougainville. A third coursemate, Keith Leonard Armstrong (NZ4215111), had already been lost with No. 19 Squadron on 24th April 1944. All three are commemorated at the Bourail Memorial.
"Of the 30 members of this course ... several others did not survive the war, including K L Armstrong (lost 19 Sqdn 24/4/44), R L Bayly (lost 19 Sqdn 29/8/44), and J M Knight (lost 19 Sqdn 28/8/44). So ... to 19 went Armstrong, Bayly, Calder, Knight, Palmer, Symon, Wright ..."
(courtesy Wings Over New Zealand)
NO. 19 SQUADRON RNZAF
No. 19 Fighter Squadron RNZAF deployed to the Pacific in February 1944, with Fl/Sgt. Knight embarking on 18th February. The squadron took part in the battle against the Japanese counterattack on Bougainville in March 1944 and the subsequent campaigns to neutralise Kavieng and Rabaul. Operating from Torokina (Piva) Airfield on Bougainville, it flew a demanding combination of air defence duties over Empress Augusta Bay and offensive fighter-bomber sweeps against Japanese-held targets.
Ground attack missions of the kind on which Fl/Sgt. Knight lost his life were among the most hazardous tasks assigned to Corsair pilots - requiring precise judgement at low altitude over hostile terrain, with no margin for mechanical failure or navigational error.
AIRCRAFT - VOUGHT F4U CORSAIR
The Vought F4U Corsair was one of the finest carrier-borne and land-based fighter aircraft of the Second World War, powered by a Pratt and Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial engine producing 2,000 hp. Its distinctive inverted gull wing - designed to accommodate the large three-bladed propeller while keeping the undercarriage short enough for carrier operations - made it immediately recognisable in the Pacific theatre.
With a maximum speed of 417 mph and a service ceiling of 37,000 ft, the Corsair was significantly faster and more powerful than the Japanese opposition it encountered. It was equally effective in the ground attack role, capable of carrying bombs and rockets in addition to its standard armament of six .50 calibre Browning machine guns. RNZAF squadrons began transitioning from Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawks to Corsairs during 1944.
BOURAIL NEW ZEALAND WAR CEMETERY AND MEMORIAL
Location and Origins
Bourail New Zealand War Cemetery lies on the western coast of New Caledonia, approximately 1,600 kilometres north of New Zealand, about 9 kilometres south-east of the town of Bourail on the main road north and east of the Nera River. The land was donated to New Zealand authorities in 1943 by New Caledonian farmer Charles Goussard, and the cemetery was formally inaugurated on 7th October 1945.
The Cemetery
The cemetery was designed by C. P. Vize and constructed by New Zealand authorities. There are 246 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War in the cemetery - 235 are New Zealanders, and 7 are from the United Kingdom. Remains were concentrated from 14 other islands across the South Pacific, including Guadalcanal, Vella Lavella, Mono, and Bougainville.
The Bourail Memorial
Standing immediately behind the Cross of Sacrifice is the Bourail Memorial, commemorating those members of the New Zealand Land and Air Forces and Merchant Navy, together with members of the Western Pacific Local Forces, who died during operations in the South Pacific area and have no known grave. Names are recorded on 12 bronze panels. Above the panels is the inscription:
1939 - 1945. These officers and men of the New Zealand Army, the Royal New Zealand Air Force and the Western Pacific Local Forces served and died in the Southern Pacific on land and at sea.
An ANZAC Day ceremony is held at the cemetery each year, attended by representatives of both New Zealand and New Caledonian communities.
BURIAL AND COMMEMORATION DETAILS
Name: Flight Sergeant Jack Muir Knight RNZAF
Service Number: NZ421031
Commemoration: Bourail New Zealand War Cemetery, New Caledonia
Memorial: Bourail Memorial - Panel 6
Next of Kin: Son of Harry Knight (died 1972, age 82)and Elizabeth Knight ((née Thompson - died 1953, age60)), of Waiuku, Auckland, New Zealand
Home Town: Waiuku, Auckland, New Zealand
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
With sincere thanks to all those who contributed information towards this record. If anyone holds further details regarding Fl/Sgt. Knight or No. 19 Squadron RNZAF - including photographs, logbooks, or personal correspondence - we would very much welcome hearing from you.
SOURCES
RNZAF Biographies of Deceased Personnel, 1939-1945 - Auckland War Memorial Museum / Archives New Zealand
Commonwealth War Graves Commission - cwgc.org
RNZAF Roll of Honour 1944
Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph - aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph
Wings Over New Zealand - rnzaf.proboards.com (Course 42A notes)
Aircrew Remembered - Fl/Sgt. Ronald Lawrence Bayly, aircrewremembered.com/bayly-ronald-lawrence.html
Ross, J. - Royal New Zealand Air Force. Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939-45. Battery Press, 1993
Air Force Museum of New Zealand - airforcemuseum.co.nz
New Zealand War Graves Project - nzwargraves.org.nz
Wikipedia - No. 19 Squadron RNZAF; Bourail New Zealand War Cemetery; Vought F4U Corsair
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning we will remember them. - Laurence Binyon
Report prepared 2026 - We seek additional information and photographs.
Note: the family lost another son in the final months of the war. F/O. Robert Baines Knight NZ422292, listed as missing on the 9th February flying Lancaster III LE-A with 630 squadron. All 7 crew, including F/Sgt. John Lamont NZ427518 are remembered on the Runnymede Memorial.
BACKGROUND
Educated at Waiuku School. Worked as a farmer on his father's farm at Taurangarura, near Waiuku. Served three years in the territorial army prior to enlisting.
SERVICE RECORD
• 4 Apr 1942 Enlisted at Rotorua as a pilot under training
• 13 Jun 1942 No. 3 Elementary Flying Training School
⚠ 27 Jul 1942 Involved in a serious accident
• 13 Apr 1943 No. 1 Service Flying Training School
• 7 Jun 1943 Pilot badge awarded
• 31 Jul 1943 Promoted to Sergeant
• 21 Aug 1943 Embarked for England
• 21 Mar 1944 Pilot Advanced Flying Unit
• 6 Jun 1944 No. 10 Operational Training Unit
⚠ 30/31 Jul 1944 Crashed on take-off (uninjured)
• 18 Aug 1944 Commission awarded — promoted to Flying Officer
⚠ 23/24 Aug 1944 Crash landing with Sgt. John Lamont NZ427518 (both uninjured)
09 Februay 1945, Missing believed killed.
