Hanno can you help

[Col Tigwell]

This is an unusual one, and I will try and keep it brief.

On the 29th June 1970, an RAAF airman (so we presume that he may have been aircrew) was buried in an unmarked grave, at Ipswich cementary, which has a war grave section in it.

Ipswich which is on the outskirts of the Queensland capital Brisbane, which was a very high activity area for all allied personel in WW2.

Included in that range were members of the NEIAF.

The war graves people keep no details of unmarked graves, and this one is the only RAAF one in Australia.

As the internment took place in 1970, we must presume that this man was discovered some short time prior to this date.

However the story becomes stranger, because after a photo was made of the grave, the war graves people advised that there is also Dutch national also unknown buried in the same grave.

What we do not know is whether they were buried together, or this was a previous internment, and the site was just being fully used.

However the war graves people have indicated, that his name was A Pifter, how they arrived at that information we do not know.

A check with the Dutch war graves people shows that no one of that name was killed in WW2. Neither were Pfister and Pfaster which we understand were variations of that name.

This whole thing does not make sense, if the guy was on loan to the NEI (the RAAF did greatly help with the training on the B25) why did the RAAF know he was still missing. If he was just hitching a ride, then why was he not reported as being missing or AWOL, and when WW2 finished being part of the un accounted troops.

I am going to the chief of defense about this, because someone recovered the remains, someone authorised the burial in an unmarked grave, some authorised the funeral expenses, and yet no one appears to know the circumstances.

If we can find out either or of the details of these men, we could put pressure on, to have their service recorded, other than unmarked grave.

Any one give us any steers.

Thanks

Col

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally posted by herkman
However the war graves people have indicated, that his name was A Pifter, how they arrived at that information we do not know.

A check with the Dutch war graves people shows that no one of that name was killed in WW2. Neither were Pfister and Pfaster which we understand were variations of that name.

Col, unusual to say the least. . . I'd love to help, but do not know where to begin? As the Dutch war graves commission can't give a clue, I'm at loss how to help here.

Can someone provide some more detail about the units training around Brisbane, that might provide a clue as where to start the search.

H.