Thanks Jeff
I have not seen an Australian War Memorial like that one.
According to CWGC, Sutton Veny (St John), Wiltshire, has 170 casualties, from both World Wars it seems.
I know of four in my family from just two surnames who lost their lives in WW 1 & 2.
One an Englishman, was a Japanese P.O.W., on the Burma Railroad. I mentioned his P.O.W., work in Burma and burial place to a Japanese P.O.W., Researcher and he said that my relation was likely to be on a Japanese Red Cross Ship, bombed by the Allies (own forces - Friendly).
WW 2
So you survive P.O.W. life on one of the most infamous Japanese Railway projects, put on a Hospital Ship, flying a Red Cross Flag, which was bombed by your own side, get to hospital and pass away in Hospital.
A.I. generated ...
During World War II, several Japanese Red Cross ships were sunk, some carrying prisoners of war. The Rakuyo Maru and Kachidoki Maru, carrying Allied POWs, were sunk by US submarines in September 1944. The Rakuyo Maru, carrying 1317 British and Australian POWs, and the Kachidoki Maru, with 900 British POWs, were both attacked and sunk. Additionally, the Junyo Maru, another ship carrying POWs and romushas (Javanese slave laborers), was also sunk by a British submarine, according to the Imperial War Museums.
End of AI text.
"The sinking of the Junyo Maru on 18 September 1944 was one of the deadliest maritime disasters of the Second World War, killing over 5,000 POWs and romushas."
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Another family member was involved in an "Air Crash" in the UK returning from a Night Operation over Occupied Territory, which was one of many listed in the "Friendly" Files at the Public Record Office, now TNA, Kew.
They were returning on an Operational Flying Sortie when the friendly incident occurred.
So his loss was classed as Friendly, but he was also "killed in action", because the crew were flying on an operation against an enemy.
At the end of the war, there is a note on their AIR 81 Air Ministry file, from one Section to another, to ensure all the crew are showing as accidental loss [nothing to do with the Germans at all], which is what they must have told my Grandmother a few days afterward. Because his Deaths notice and a piece in the newspaper 6 days later says his loss was due to a "Flying Accident".
However, the British propaganda machine changed the evening newspaper report of their [R.A.F.] "Bomber Crash" by the adjacent householder (named) and repeated it again a few days later, with a Report of German raiders later that day and suggesting the original report was a German raider that they had successfully brought down. What a cheek!
Locals I traced 25 years ago, said they knew the family at the nearby house and that the R.A.F., bomber was brought down by our own defences and had I come across these others within the same month, which we had in the official records.
The daughter who fomerly lived at the nearby house, recalled the crash and had more to add. An Operations file, stated one of two R.A.F. bombers brought down by British defences early that morning states that one R.A.F., bomber was also engaged by a "friendly aircraft", but not damaged.
Despite what happened, I'll keep his medals and papers. The Squadron did write a letter later that year to the Solicitor acting when he asked how his loss occurred, which partly summarised what happened and the defence organisation who were responsible.
Mark
