Dakota KG520 - Bekasi Massacre

[PeteT]

Background: 31 Squadron Dakota KG-520 force landed on 23rd November 1945 near Bekasi, Java. Two days later, the five man RAF crew and the 18+ passengers from the Indian Army were all murdered by Indonesian rebels (Black Buffaloes).

The 5 man crew are honoured on the Singapore Memorial but little can be found about the passengers.

Does anyone have any thoughts on where the names may be recorded or where they may be honoured?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Regards

Pete

[alieneyes]

Hi Pete,

Utilizing Geoff's Search Engine we have 20 Indian chaps killed on this date:

001 ABDUL RASHID - GSF/40815 - 23/11/1945 INDIAN GENERAL SERVICE CORPS
002 ABRAHAM KP 14380 HMIS DALHOUSIE 23/11/1945 ROYAL INDIAN NAVY
003 ALAM KHAN - 20088 3RD BN 23/11/1945 9TH JAT REGIMENT
004 AROKIAM - 01128528 - 23/11/1945 INDIAN ARMY ORDNANCE CORPS
005 BIDHI CHAND - 9396 - 23/11/1945 PROBYN'S HORSE (5TH KING EDWARD'S OWN LANCERS), I.A.C.
006 BIJE RAM - 14506 4TH BN 23/11/1945 6TH RAJPUTANA RIFLES
007 DEO DATT - 16746 1ST BN 23/11/1945 17TH DOGRA REGIMENT
008 GOPALA KRISHNAN KG P/2400 - 23/11/1945 INDIAN ARMY POSTAL SERVICE
009 HAFIZ QAZI - 569242 - 23/11/1945 INDIAN PIONEER CORPS
010 HARI GHATGE - 22119 4TH BN 23/11/1945 5TH MAHRATTA LIGHT INFANTRY
011 JAI DEV - H/45326 42 INDIAN GENERAL HOSPITAL 23/11/1945 INDIAN ARMY MEDICAL CORPS
012 JAIL DHARI SINGH - A/11974 - 23/11/1945 PRINCE ALBERT VICTOR'S OWN CAVALRY (11TH F.F.), I.A.C.
013 JOHN PK 5211 HMIS BENGAL 23/11/1945 ROYAL INDIAN NAVY
014 KARAM DIN - 201682 6 MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT GROUP 23/11/1945 INDIAN ENGINEERS
015 NAIN SINGH - 10740/IO 26TH BN 23/11/1945 KUMAON REGIMENT
016 RAM SWARUP - A/5814 - 23/11/1945 16TH LIGHT CAVALRY, I.A.C.
017 SHADA GUL - 7569 TOCHI SCOUTS 23/11/1945 MILITARY POLICE AND LEVIES
018 TULA SUR PUN - 25 3RD BN 23/11/1945 8TH GURKHA RIFLES
019 UNDER BODRA - 379142 - 23/11/1945 INDIAN PIONEER CORPS
020 VANHLIRA - 92676 24 FIELD AMB 23/11/1945 INDIAN ARMY MEDICAL CORPS

I opened a couple of CWGC links to see that several are listed on Memorials to the Missing on the Delhi and Karachi 1939-1945 Memorials

Regards,

Dave

[dennis_burke]

Were any of the aircrew Australian or Canadian?

[PeteT]

Thanks for the responses.

Dave ... my understanding is that those killed were all from the same regiment so I am not sure the ones you have listed are linked; furthermore, the 5 aircrew are listed as killed on 25th November 1945. I will have a look and see what a 25/11/1945 search brings up.

Dennis .... unfortunately all the crew were RAFVR, so no Australian or Canadian connections that can be pursued, although the Australian Government site does have lots of press clippings and links to footage of the allied reprisals.

An interesting one.

Regards

Pete

[COL BRUGGY]

Hello,

Dakota III KG520 was coded "W".

Australians/Canadians ? No.

164945 F/O (Pilot) Raymond George DIGHT RAFVR +
165194 F/O (2nd Pilot) Herbert James BATTEN RAFVR +
199514 P/O Alexander Munro HOWE MiD RAFVR +
181712 F/O Thomas Keith Burgoyne SMITH RAFVR +
1206949 LAC (Nursing Orderly) Leonard Herbert SINGLETON RAFVR +

All commemorated on the Singapore Memorial.

Col.

[paulmcmillan]

From The British Occupation of Indonesia 1945-1946 By Richard McMillan


The largest set-piece retaliation by British forces against irregular Indonesian
forces occurred at Bekasi, to the east of Batavia. It provides a good example of the
ease with which hatred and violence between British and Indonesians could escalate
as a result of a single incident. On 23 November, a Dakota carrying 20 troops
belonging to 2/19th Kumaon crashed near Bekasi. A reconnaissance aircraft
reported that both crew and passengers were safe.45 The following day, 24
November, an expedition was undertaken by troops of 6/5th Mahratta Light
Infantry, one of the battalions belonging to 49th Indian Infantry Brigade which
had taken part in the initial fighting in Surabaya but was now based in West Java.
‘B’, ‘C’ and ‘D’ Companies along with Tactical Headquarters and a troop of tanks
managed to reach the site of the crash. They found the body of an Indian other
rank in the canal. Its condition was described in the Battalion War Diary for that
day along with conjecture about what might have happened to the other occupants
of the plane: ‘Body horribly mutilated, one hand was cut off. Numerous wounds
on body. One head of IOR and one hand … five blood stained socks, eight burnt
out rifle butt plates were picked up from same area. Possible other occupants of
plane suffered same fate.’ The Dakota was found to be ‘completely smashed up
and burnt out except part of fuselage’.
‘B’ and ‘C’ Companies began searching kampongs 1,000 yards north of the
crash site. All houses and bashas were set on fire on direct orders from the Brigade
Commander. Approximately 200 houses were burnt out. In one of the houses, an
Indonesian was discovered hiding. He was found to possess some Indian Army
uniform and a rifle with the woodwork burnt out. His fate is not recorded. ‘B’
Company was then attacked by a group of about 100 Indonesians armed with
swords and rifles. The attack was beaten off with the aid of mortars. Twenty-five
Indonesians were killed, 20 were wounded and 15 were taken prisoner. The
company suffered only one Indian other rank slightly wounded. At the same time,
troops of ‘D’ Company killed five Indonesians who were ‘trying to escape’.46
Further searches were undertaken during the following days. On 29 November,
a column of troops and tanks went out towards Bekasi. Kampongs were evacuated
in the face of the British advance. When the column reached Bekasi, the Black
Buffaloes, the group which had killed the crew and passengers of the Dakota,
made a stand but were all killed.47 Bekasi itself was virtually deserted. A Dutch
boy, twenty Chinese and Indonesians and three Ambonese women were released
from the prison. One of the Ambonese women stated that the RAF crew and the
Indian troops had all been killed two or three days previously.48 The bodies were
discovered by ‘D’ Company of 1/16th Punjab, buried by the river.49 Christison
ordered that Bekasi be burnt down.50 A force which was sent back on 13 December
encountered no opposition.