James Corrance Pitt
Able Seaman
Service no. P/JX162422

I have decided to trace my family tree and knew that my uncle had died during WW2, that he was in the navy and died when his ship went down. However, on searching a bit further I now discover that he was on the HMS Jupiter -James Corrance Pitt AB Service Number P/JX 162422 - and died as a POW F on the 1 Oct 1944. According to Scotland's People death records he was 19 years old when he died, I don't have his birth date.
I feel very sad that my mother never knew what had happened to her younger brother. My mother is profoundly deaf as a result of measles when she was 5 years old and possibly was never told the full story about her brother. I have a photograph of him somewhere in his uniform and I must look it out. I would like to be able to provide more details to the War Graves Commission for his remembrance.

I sent for the details from the Japanese POW index cards form the national archives at Kew but they said they had no records.
I also sent for the death certificate which sates that his ship was the HMS Jupiter and that he was born on the 27th March 1925 and died on the 1st October 1944, and that the place of death was 'At Sea' and he died from 'Bacillary Dysentery'.

Thank you 
Vicky Blainey

James would have survived the sinking of HMS Jupiter which was on 27th February 1942, and must have been a prisoner of war until 1st October 1944 when he died. From a total crew of 192 officers and men, 95 men died during the sinking, 97 men survived and 27 of these died in captivity, leaving 70 men who survived the war.

Please contact Andy (webmaster) with any information.

Andy Wade (Webmaster)

Information provided by
Vicky Blainey.