Three Unknown Airmen of WW2 buried in Kanchanaburi War Cemetery - 16 November 1941

[Dave Barlow]

On the FindaGrave site for Kanchanaburi War Cemetery there is a photo of a headstone for Three Unknown WW2 Airmen with the date given as 16 November 1941

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...45_war-unknown

This piqued my interest as the war in the East didn't start for another few weeks after that date and I would have presumed that any "peacetime" incidents would be pretty well known.

After a bit of digging around I have managed to convince myself that those remains are of the 3 RAF Airmen killed following an incident on 16 November 1944

http://www.rafcommands.com/database/...&submit=Search

FSgt Ian Alexander McDOWALL +(1556367) and Sgt Stanley James COOPER +(956082) were killed outright with Pilot Officer Malcolm George Rea CHIPPENDALE +(174371) passing away from wounds 4 days later following capture by the Japanese and Pilot Officer Ernest Walter Mervyn TRIGWELL(415198) RAAF becoming a POW (https://nominal-rolls.dva.gov.au/vet...066007&c=WW2#R)

I am probably barking up the wrong tree - but what if I'm not.......

[jonheyworth]

On the FindaGrave site for Kanchanaburi War Cemetery there is a photo of a headstone for Three Unknown WW2 Airmen with the date given as 16 November 1941

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...45_war-unknown

This piqued my interest as the war in the East didn't start for another few weeks after that date and I would have presumed that any "peacetime" incidents would be pretty well known.

After a bit of digging around I have managed to convince myself that those remains are of the 3 RAF Airmen killed following an incident on 16 November 1944

http://www.rafcommands.com/database/...&submit=Search

FSgt Ian Alexander McDOWALL +(1556367) and Sgt Stanley James COOPER +(956082) were killed outright with Pilot Officer Malcolm George Rea CHIPPENDALE +(174371) passing away from wounds 4 days later following capture by the Japanese and Pilot Officer Ernest Walter Mervyn TRIGWELL(415198) RAAF becoming a POW (https://nominal-rolls.dva.gov.au/vet...066007&c=WW2#R)

I am probably barking up the wrong tree - but what if I'm not.......

Present any evidence to the " in from the cold project " I've had numerous Graves and non commemorations recognised by the CWGC through them

There are NO war dead commemorated on the Singapore Memorial between 1 January 1941 and 31 November 1941

Have you found the graves adjacent to this one and looked at the concentration report ?

I've found it in Plot X Row P

Collective grave 5-9 Captain R Gordon Special Forces 16/21/41

Captain E Regan Sepcial Forces 16/12/41

Captain H C Wright Special Forces 16/12/41

3 unknown British Airmen 16/11/41

BUT on the grave its : Private Daniel Regan FSMVF attached SOE died between 12-16 December 1941. The others are Captains both attached to SOE one from Malaya one from the UK both dying 16/12/41

This is a strange one indeed but I doubt it's your 1944 Airmen

The named SOE personnel are all over the Internet but there's no mention of any associated Airmen

[Don Clark]

Before contacting CWGC, perhaps a query to the two named contacts for the Find-A-Grave 16 November 1941 entry may get more information about the CWGC records used in its creation, beyond the current brief
"This grave is a double grave containing 3 sets of unidentified remains.
CWGC records indicate that these airmen were British."

The three Beaufighter men of 16 November 1944 are all listed on the Singapore Memorial.

[Jagan]

One other quirk.

Additionally assume that Chippendale was initially buried at Taungup - for his remains to go to Kanchanburi, they would have had to ignore the much closer cemetery in Yangon/Myanmar completely.. it is a long trip.

[Dave Barlow]

Thanks all - I might try the bloke who runs the "in from the cold" project - I don't know why I didn't think of that as I have been in contact with him previously, I will have to dig out the email address for the guy I was talking to

Regarding Daniel Regan's rank - his grave marker and all of the CWGC paperwork identify him as being a Captain but the site itself gives the rank as Private - I have sent them a query using the online form

PS - I started checking some of the burials as I will be visiting Kanchanaburi in a few day's time with a plan to photograph the 250 or so grave markers that are so far not on the FindaGrave site