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General => Armed Forces => Topic started by: macb on Monday 23 May 11 15:53 BST (UK)

Title: WW2 death in Far East
Post by: macb on Monday 23 May 11 15:53 BST (UK)

A relative of mine died in November 1944 in Thailand.  He was serving in the RAF, unit was SHQ Calcutta and according to the death record died in Geng Luang (American sites call this Geang Luang). As far as I can find he is buried in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery along with what looks like the other members of the crew of a B-24J serial No 44-40811.
Can anyone help with the location of Geng Luang and what type of operation this might have been.
He would appear to be the only UK serviceman on board

Title: Re: WW2 death in Far East
Post by: Billyblue on Monday 23 May 11 15:57 BST (UK)

There's a map on here:
http://www.traveljournals.net/explore/thailand/map/m4603692/geang_luang_railway_station.html

or google "geang luang" thailand

Dawn M

Title: Re: WW2 death in Far East
Post by: mmm45 on Monday 23 May 11 18:39 BST (UK)

http://cgibin.rcn.com/jeremy.k/cgi-bin/gzUsafSearch.pl?target=44-40811

Looks like engine caught fire and all 11 crew died.
I suspect that the American Graves recovery unit found the site of the crash and returned any human remains back to USA to be interred and the lads are all together in a communal grave in Missouri.
http://paul.rutgers.edu/~mcgrew/wwii/usaf/html/Nov.44.html

He must have been seconded to USAAF.

Ady

Title: Re: WW2 death in Far East
Post by: macb on Monday 23 May 11 19:57 BST (UK)

Thanks for help. They were buried November 1944.  Managed to get a photograph of the grave stone from CWGC