James Alan Whitworth
Private James A. “Jay” Whitworth served with Able Company, First Battalion, 2nd Marines.
He was killed in action at Betio, Tarawa atoll, on 20 November 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number 424348
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
This case is under Active Pursuit by the DPAA.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
December 31, 1924
at Corpus Christi, TX
Parents
James (died 1936)
Susan A. Whitworth
Education
Longview High School (ex-1943)
Occupation & Employer
Paper boy
Longview Daily News
Service Life
Entered Service
July 21, 1942
at Dallas, TX
Home Of Record
111 Northcutt Avenue
Longview, TX
Next Of Kin
Mother, Mrs. Susan A. Whitworth
Military Specialty
—
Primary Unit
A/1/2nd Marines
Campaigns Served
Tarawa
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
Private Whitworth joined A/1/2 from the 2nd Anti-Tank Battalion on 9 October 1943.
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Private Whitworth served with Company A, First Battalion, 2nd Marines during the invasion of Tarawa. His battalion constituted the regimental reserve, and was ordered to land against heavy opposition at Beach Red 2 on the morning of 20 November 1943.
Whitworth was killed in action on the day of the landings; according to family lore, he was shot down by a Japanese pillbox as soon as he set foot on Betio. Officially, his cause of death is given as “gunshot wounds, right shoulder.”
Burial Information or Disposition
Primary sources differ as to Private Whitworth’s burial. His battalion’s muster roll (above) gives the location as “Beach Red 2 Cemetery, Row 2, Grave 108.” This information is repeated on his Marine Corps Casualty Card. However, this same card also gives a second location – “Row B, Grave #43” – also in Beach Red 2 Cemetery.
It is now known which, if either, of these graves contained Whitworth’s remains. The cemetery – also known as “Central Division” or “Cemetery 26” – was excavated by the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company in 1946, but Whitworth’s body could not be identified at the time.
A significant number of the Marines interred here were taken to Hawaii and buried as unknowns. It is possible that James Whitworth is among them.
A memorial marker was erected in Cemetery 26, Grave 12, Row 1, Plot 3.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of mother, Mrs. Susan A. Whitworth.
Location Of Loss
Private Whitworth was killed in action at an unspecified location on Betio.
