Pacific Wrecks Forum

While searching the Web I came accross a Australian War Crime website that had the following information:

"At the site of the Japanese Navy's cemetery at Matupi [Rabaul] an Australian war graves in May 1946 found the body of 24 Caucasians, all bearing signs of execution buried in seven contiguous trenches. Four could be identified:two American airmen, an Australian telegraphist, and an Australian civilian. In june 1949 a Japanese rating testifed he had witnesed the execution of twelve 12 Allied airmen there in November 1943 in the presence of high ranking naval officers,whom he named...The Imperial War Graves Comission in June and July 1950 searched twelve acres at the foot of Matupi crater. They found five graves containing the body of 15 Australian Airmen, 12 American airmen and one Autralian civilian,all bearing the signs of execution. "

DOes anyone know the identity of the twelve American airmen who were identified in the grave site in 1950? The Autsralian book "The Searchers" narrates the events of 1950 and identifies the Australian airmen.

http://www.pacificwrecks.com/forum/view ... f=5&t=1814

Try writing to above link at US POW/MIA office

How did you go with your search for the American airmen?

I know that one of them was:
Lt. Philip L. BECK, USAAF (from Lansing, Mich.) who's body was identified by ID disk and dental charts. He was falsely listed as lost on the Kokai Maru by the Japanese.

By the way, the two US airmen "identified" in the original 24 were:
Lt. Henry A. KEEL and
Lt. Arthur C. KING, both USAAF.
The ID disks of these two were found with bodies #23 and #24, although they are both still listed as MIA on ABMC web site.

Other possibles are:
AOM1C James Joseph KIRK and
ARM1C William S HAMILTON Jr, USN
both listed as buried in Honolulu and reported to have been exectuted at the same time as recovered RAAF personnel.
Five other members of the same aircraft (USN PBY-5 #08428) were executed at the same time.
Three:
Lt(jg) Raymond B. THOMPSON,
Ens. Phil K. PHILLIS and
AMM2C Paul M. MANNON
are not listed on ABMC, so may have been recovered and buried in civilian cemeteries.
The other two:
Ens. John F. RYDER and
AMM2C Carl L. MORGAN
are listed as MIA.

Three others who were possibly executed at MATUPI and recovered are:
Lt Thomas F. DOYLE,
Lt Olsten F. SUGDEN and
Sgt Raymond J. FARNELL
these three (from B-24 41-24101) were listed by the Japanese as "killed by Allied bombing on 16 May 1943". However, one PoW thought that "three members of Lt Martindale's - who was in 41-24101- crew" were taken away with a group including Lt BECK. It appears that the bodies of these three were recovered, but I do not know where from.

Other US airmen still listed as MIA who were reported executed at MATUPI along with recovered personel are:
Lt Harold L. MASSIE,USAAF
Capt Harl PEASE Jr, USAAF
Sgt Chester M CZECHOWSKI, USAAF

AOM2C Harlan J. BURRUS, USN
Capt. Leslie W. NEUMANN, USAAF (of Litchville, Nth Dakota)
Sgt John J MULLIGAN, USAAF (of Kingston, NY)
Pvt Robert E. GEORGE, USAAF (of Louisville, Ohio)
Sgt Ernest W. BURNSIDE, USAAF
Pvt Frank L. KURISKO, USAAF (of Berlin, NH)
Lt Ernest A. NAUMANN, USAAF (of Baldwin, NY)
Sgt Robert A. CURRY, USAAF (of Quincy, Mass.)
Sgt Robert J. FRITZ, USAAF

Lt Edward Albert CROKER, USMC
Lt John A. BAILEY, USAAF
Lt Christopher O. BARTLETT, USAAF
3 crew members of a USN PBY5 – VP-34 (Lt. Wright pilot - PBY-5 8436) who are probably:
Lt Aljah Wolford WRIGHT, USNR
Ens Paul James MALATESTA, USN
Ens Isaac John OSBORN, USNR

Sorry, there doesn't seem to be anything more definite from the Australian side but this may give you a few leads to work from.

Good luck, I would be interested to know how you go with this.

David F.