Source : Perth Now news
A soldier killed in WWII during the Kokoda Battle has finally been identified after his remains were identified more than 80 years after his death.
Lieutenant Hercules Crawford, of the famous 39th Battalion, was declared missing in action aged 34 in 1942.
The 39th Battalion faced a Japanese ambush at the time, leaving Lieutenant Crawford seriously injured.
“That was the last time he was seen effectively by anyone,” Kokoda historian Carl Johnson said.
“Hercules Crawford is the last member of the lead battalion to head up the Kokoda Track, the first to face the Japanese to be still seen as missing in action”.
After years of lobbying government, the army was able to confirm that his remains are located in PNG’s Bomana Cemetery.
“Keeping his memory alive with my grandfather meant the world,” his granddaughter Natasha Read said.
“Given the sacrifices that my grandfather made, the least thing that I can do is make sure that his memory’s never forgotten.” she said.
A new gravestone with his name on it will be revealed soon.
The announcement came alongside the discovery of the identity of another unknown soldier, killed on August 8, 1918.
Private Archibald ‘Blue’ Hanley, 30th Battalion, Australian Imperial Force died during the Battle of Amiens at Villers-Bretonneux, France.
Investigations have now confirmed that an Unknown Australian Soldier buried at Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery is Private Hanley.
“When we say ‘Lest We Forget’ at the end of the Ode we re-commit to remembering them in perpetuity. Today we honour two Australian soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice in service of our nation and, at long last, can be remembered by name rather than as unknown soldiers,” Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Matt Keogh said.
“The formal identification of Private Archibald Hanley and Lieutenant Hercules William Crawford reflects our enduring commitment to accounting for Australia’s wartime missing, no matter how much time has passed.
“The work of the Australian Army’s Unrecovered War Casualties team, alongside the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and the Office of Australian War Graves, reflects the care and determination invested in honouring those who served our nation.”
