B-24 crash site found - India

[spidge]

Well done Doc.

Do you think the management of these Cemeteries might take a digital photo of these RAAF headstones for me?

[DocWilson]

Originally Posted by spidge

Well done Doc.

Do you think the management of these Cemeteries might take a digital photo of these RAAF headstones for me?

The management of U.S. cemeteries run by the Veterans' Administration -- which includes all the ones on your list -- don't take photos. (OTOH, the American Battle Monuments Commission will for cemeteries not on US soil.)

All the men on your list are on Find A Grave, and all but one have photos already, though the quality is variable:

Lieut Francis D Milne ( - 1942)

Lloyd Ashwin Morris ( - 1945)

Sgt Henry William Clapinson (1908 - 1944)

Gerard Michael Keogh (1903 - 1943)

William Alexander MacKay (1914 - 1943)

Sgt Edgar Horace Hawter ( - 1942). (BTW, there are two other RAF airmen buried in a collective grave with Hawter, according to both the headstone and the VA records, but they are not in the CWGC database. Curious.)

Ronald William Scott ( - 1944) doesn't have a photo yet, but I've posted a request for one.

I would love to be able to (re-) take the photos myself to give you consistent quality, but the closest one of those cemeteries is Arlington and I'm 560 km away. Not exactly a day trip.

[Kyt]

Originally Posted by DocWilson

Sgt Edgar Horace Hawter ( - 1942). (BTW, there are two other RAF airmen buried in a collective grave with Hawter, according to both the headstone and the VA records, but they are not in the CWGC database. Curious.)

The principal that if individual remains cannot be identified when a number of aircrew from different countries, and the majority are from the US, then they are repatriated to the US, seems to apply here. Like Wingate.


Looking through Hawter's casualty file, it certainly seems to imply that it was a group burial:

http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/imag...57549&I=1&SE=1

What he was doing with the USAAF 3rd BG I don't know and unfortunately his service file hasn't been digitised.

[Kyt]

Ah, here we go. From:

vernon mcbroom

41-12792 B-25C 90BS 3BG 5AF 420726 SWP, New Britian
Name:Aurora
Bender, Frank Peter., Capt.(O-392735). /RMC
Hawter, Edgar Horace., F/Sgt.(406129).RAAF /Kia
Middleton, Robert T., Sgt. /Kia Thompson,
Arnold M., T/Sgt. /RMC McBroom,
Robert T., Sgt. /Kia Hamilton,
Ian Cheetwood., Sgt.(405378).RAAF /Kia

Source:Pacific Wrecks
Departed 7-Airdrome on mission to bomb Jap seaplane at Gasmata, New Britian. Attacked by Jap fighters & exploded. RAAF search team located wreckage & recovered remains in 1945.

and

B-25C "Aurora" Serial Number 41-12792

[Kyt]

Hamilton's Casualty file has also been digitised but not service file. I'm really intrigued as to why two RAAF men were in a USAAF unit and neither file gives any clues.

http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/imag...70040&I=1&SE=1

[spidge]

Originally Posted by DocWilson

The management of U.S. cemeteries run by the Veterans' Administration -- which includes all the ones on your list -- don't take photos. (OTOH, the American Battle Monuments Commission will for cemeteries not on US soil.)

All the men on your list are on Find A Grave, and all but one have photos already, though the quality is variable:

Lieut Francis D Milne ( - 1942)

Lloyd Ashwin Morris ( - 1945)

Sgt Henry William Clapinson (1908 - 1944)

Gerard Michael Keogh (1903 - 1943)

William Alexander MacKay (1914 - 1943)

Sgt Edgar Horace Hawter ( - 1942). (BTW, there are two other RAF airmen buried in a collective grave with Hawter, according to both the headstone and the VA records, but they are not in the CWGC database. Curious.)

Ronald William Scott ( - 1944) doesn't have a photo yet, but I've posted a request for one.

I would love to be able to (re-) take the photos myself to give you consistent quality, but the closest one of those cemeteries is Arlington and I'm 560 km away. Not exactly a day trip.

I know what you mean.

I live in Melbourne Victoria and the three Canadians I was chasing were buried a long way away in Queensland (2,000 kms), Northern Territory (3,500kms) and Western Australia (4,000kms)

[Antipodean Andy]

Originally Posted by spidge

This one Andy??

Australian Victoria Cross Winner

[center] Private James Heather Gordon

Wow, what a great series of posts since I've been here last!

Nope, not Gordon, Spidgeman. Ashamedly, I had not heard of him. Looks like I have a few more visits to do to Karrakatta!

The guy I'm thinking of was WWI. Will check your next post for his name which I'll recognise straight away.

[Antipodean Andy]

Originally Posted by spidge

This is a great site for Aussie VC recipients!

List of Australian winners of the Victoria Cross

Hugo Throssell was "my" man, Spidge. I see from the link you posted above that he has plaque in Greenmount. That's about 10 minutes drive from home so will investigate further.

There's been some comment on The Great War forum about his grave being quite neglected. I was talking to a lady who is trying to get permission to tidy it up...so far to no avail.

[Antipodean Andy]

Originally Posted by DocWilson

Albert Jacka is probably my favorite story and favorite monument among the Australian VCs.

This is the bio I wrote for him on Find A Grave:

...

Sorry for the thread drift, but that's the kind of story that makes me regret I'm not Australian.

pfw

Excellent stuff, Doc. Very well done.

My wife has taken an interest in Jacka as she found out he resided (?) where she grew up - the Melbourne suburb of Chelsea.

[Antipodean Andy]

RAAF search team located wreckage & recovered remains in 1945.

If anyone is interested in reading about the RAAF search teams, keep an eye out for The Searchers by Jim Eames. Brilliant reading.